UC-NRLF 


George  Davidson 
1825-1911 


Professor  of  Geography 
University  of  California 


THE 


ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH: 


HISTORICAL  ACCOUNT 

OF  ITS 

KISE,  PROGRESS,  AND  PRESENT  CONDITION. 

ALSO, 

PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS  IN  REGARD  TO  INSULATION, 

AND 

PROTECTION  FROM  THE  EFFECTS  OF  LIGHTNING. 

TOGETHER  WITH  AN 


APPENDIX, 


CONTAINING 


SEVERAL  IMPORTANT  TELEGRAPHIC   DECISIONS  AND  LAWS. 


BY 

LAURENCE  TURNBULL,  M.  D., 

LECTURER  ON  TECHNICAL  CHEMISTRY  AT  THE  FRANKLIN  INSTITUTE  OP  THE  STATE  OF   PENNSYLVANIA. 


35&tttQit,  ffctcbtstbr  anfr 

ILLUSTRATED  BY  NUMEROUS  ENG-RA  VINOS. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

A.   HART,   LATE   CAREY   AND   HART. 
1853. 


ENTERED  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1853,  by 

LAURENCE  TURNBULL, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
T.  K.  AND  P.  G.  COLLINS,  PRINTERS. 


Tk 

1 


PREFACE 
TO  THE   SECOND  EDITION. 


A  NEW  edition  of  the  author's  lectures  on  the  telegraph  having 
been  called  for,  he  has  embraced  the  opportunity  to  add  many  new 
facts  gleaned  from  various  sources  within  his  reach.  He  has  added 
an  outline  of  the  views  of  Henry,  Baumgartner,  and  Steinheil,  with  refer- 
ence to  the  action  of  atmospheric  electricity  upon  the  telegraph,  accom- 
panied by  descriptions  and  illustrations  of  the  means  to  be  employed 
to  obviate  the  disastrous  results  from  this  source.  In  consequence  of 
the  injurious  action  of  lightning,  poles,  wires,  and  magnets,  and,  in  a 
late  case,  the  entire  telegraph  office  have  been  destroyed. 

A  chapter  has  also  been  added  on  the  subject  of  insulation,  so  im- 
portant to  the  satisfactory  working  of  telegraphic  lines,  and  their 
entire  reliability  in  all  weathers.  For  some  of  the  suggestions  upon 
this  point  he  is  indebted  to  Professor  Eobert  Hare,  of  this  city. 

He  has  freely  availed  himself  of  important  facts  found  in  the  works 
of  De  la  Kive,  Walker,  Breguet,  Jones,  and  Highton,  received  since 
the  publication  of  the  first  edition  of  this  work,  as  also  in  the  pages  of 
the  American  Telegraphic  Magazine,  and  the  National  Telegraph  Review, 
publications  of  great  value  to  the  telegraphic  world.  To  J.  W.  Norton, 
Esq.,  proprietor  of  the  extensive  Telegraphic  Depository  in  New  York, 
and  to -his  accomplished  assistant,  Charles  T.  Chester,  Esq.,  he  is  under 
obligations  for  a  valuable  communication,  containing  descriptions  of 
various  improvements  in  telegraphic  apparatus,  which  will  be  found 
under  their  appropriate  heads. 

For  the  new  cut  of  the  House  Machine,  and  other  favors,  he  is  in- 
debted to  the  politeness  of  J.  W.  Philips,  Esq. 

He  has  also  added  to  the  Appendix  several  new  and  important 
telegraphic  decisions,  the  telegraph  laws  of  Pennsylvania,  New  York, 
Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Louisiana,  with  the  liability  of  telegraph  companies 
for  errors  in  dispatches,  cutting  telegraph  wires,  and  a  verdict  against 

M510980 


iy  PEEFACE. 

the  New  Orleans  telegraph  for  personal  injuries  by  the  wires  of  the  line 
having  fallen  across  the  road. 

To  show  the  increasing  prosperity  of  the  telegraph  in  the  far  west, 
the  author  extracts  the  following  information  from  a  letter  to  him 
from  H.  S.  Bishop,  Esq.,  late  superintendent  of  the  Lake  Erie  Telegraph 
line,  dated  Cleveland,  Ohio,  April  19,  1853,  which  will  fitly  close  this 
brief  preface. 

"  That  the  telegraph  in  this  country  is  infantile  in  its  operations  as 
yet,  cannot  be  denied.  But  its  capacity,  even  in  its  present  state,  may, 
in  a  measure,  be  seen  by  the  following  statement :  In  two  consecutive 
days  we  received  and  sent  out  at  Cleveland,  on  a  single  line,  36,980 
words,  exclusive  of  repetitions  and  corrections,  attendant  upon  a  poorly 
insulated  line  and  a  great  lack  of  experienced  operators;  these  36,980 
words  being  equal  to  1849  messages  of  ten  words  each  per  day,  not 
counting  addresses,  signature  and  check. 

"  Even  this  large  amount  of  business  will  give  way  to  yet  larger,  as 
the  telegraph  is  made  reliable  in  construction,  management,  and  general 
working." 

This  will  assist  to  indicate  the  rapid  improvement  made  in  the  course 
of  eight  years,  for  at  the  beginning  of  that  time  a  report  of  one  hun- 
dred words  was  considered  a  good  day's  work  for  an  operator.  What 
then  may  we  not  expect  in  the  next  eight  years  from  the  genius  and 
invention  of  man ! 

PHILADELPHIA,  September,  1853. 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  Electric  Telegraph  lias  excited  and  is  still  exciting  much  in- 
terest over  all  the  enlightened  parts  not  only  of  this  country,  but  of 
the  world.  No  one  can  view  the  extensive  lines,  and  hear  of  and  see 
its  wonderfu],  nay,  magical  effects,  without  a  strong  desire  to  become 
better  informed  of  its  history  and  mode  of  operation.  Like  every 
other  branch  of  science,  it  has  a  history,  a  beginning,  and  a  gradual 
advance  to  its  present  perfect  state.  It  has  required  a  long  series  of 
years  to  develop  and  perfect  it ;  it  is  not  the  invention  of  one  man  or  of 
any  set  of  men,  nor  of  one  nation,  but  of  many  nations,  each  adding 
its  mite  to  the  noble  structure.  Its  history  is  based  upon  two  of 
the  most  interesting  of  the  physical  sciences,  those  of  electricity  and 
magnetism.  Had  not  these  sciences  been  fully  investigated,  and  thou- 
sands of  laborers  spent  centuries  upon  them,  we  should  never  have 
seen  an  electric  telegraph.  Had  not  such  men  as  (Ersted,  Ampere, 
Arago,  Faraday,  and  our  own  Franklin,  spent  their  days  in  experi- 
menting, and  nights  in  studying,  we  should  never  have  reaped  the 
rich  reward  of  their  labors. 

In  this  country,  it  becomes  us  to  be  proud  of  the  electro-magnetic 
telegraph,  having  .in  operation  a  greater  number  of  miles  than  all  the 
known  world ;  and  yet,  many  of  our  people  are  as  little  acquainted  with 
it  as  if  they  never  knew  its  name,  although  its  lines  of  iron  wire  pass 
before  their  very  doors,  and  extend  even  into  the  most  distant  wilds  of 
our  country. 

It  was  this  knowledge,  coupled  with  a  strong  love  for  its  kindred 
branches  of  science,  that  induced  me  to  select  it  as  the  subject  of  a 
course  of  lectures  before  the  Franklin  Institute  of  this  city,  for  the 
session  of  1850  and  1851,  and  it  received  the  approbation  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Instruction  of  that  useful  institution. 

The  interest  and  attention  with  which  they  were  there  received,  in- 
duced me,  after  the  conclusion  of  my  course,  to  continue  the  investi- 


VI  INTRODUCTION. 

gation  of  the  subject,  and  finding  there  was  no  work  at  that  time  in 
the  English,  language  on  the  electro-magnetic  telegraph,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Mr.  Vail's,  which  is  now  out  of  print,  and  not  to  be  had  in 
this  city,  I  concluded  either  to  translate  the  work  of  Dr.  Schelling, 
published  in  September,  1850,  from  the  German,  or  the  work  of  Abbe 
Moigno,  published  in  French ;  but  as  there  had  been  many  new  and 
important  matters  scattered  throughout  the  many  Journals  devoted 
to  the  physical  sciences,  and  as  in  the  United  States  the  subject  has 
been  brought  to  its  most  perfect  state,  I  considered  it  better  to  write  a 
work  than  to  translate  one. 

I  have  received  from  the  operators  and  proprietors  of  our  telegraphic 
lines  every  assistance,  by  the  use  of  drawings,  apparatus,  and  advice, 
and  am,  therefore,  under  many  obligations  to  them ;  I  have  also  the 
pleasure  of  being  able  to  give  a  correct  list  of  the  telegraphic  lines  of 
the  world,  for  which  I  am  in  part  indebted  to  the  work  of  Dr.  Schel- 
ling, and  the  second  edition  of  the  work  of  Abbe  Moigno,  1852,  for 
telegraphic  lines  in  Europe ;  and  to  E.  Cornell,  Esq.,  President  of  the 
Erie  Telegraph  Company,  New  York,  and  J.  H.  Wade,  Esq.,  of  the 
Wade  Telegraph  Office,  Columbus,  Ohio,  for  the  principal  information 
in  regard  to  the  extent  of  the  telegraphic  lines  in  the  United  States. 
I  have  also  received  valuable  assistance  in  the  materials  of  the  work, 
from  the  interesting  trials  which  have  taken  place  between  Messrs. 
Morse  and  House,  and  also  between  Messrs.  Morse  and  Bain,  and 
which  have  caused  the  historical  part  of  the  electric  telegraph  to  be 
very  completely  investigated.  Every  work,  too,  upon  the  subject  of 
electricity  and  magnetism,  or  that  treated  of  telegraphing,  has  been 
obtained  from  the  libraries  of  our  own  country,  and  many  of  the  im- 
portant works  from  Europe. 

The  French  works  comprise  the  original  productions  of  Ampere, 
Arago,  also  those  of  the  distinguished  Germans,  Schweigger,  Ohm, 
Steinheil,  Fechner,  and  Gauss  and  Weber,  with  the  masterly  pro- 
ductions of  the  lamented  (Ersted,  of  Copenhagen,  the  discoverer  of  the 
first  link  of  that  beautiful  chain  of  the  reciprocal  action  of  electric  and 
magnetic  phenomena,  Nor  can  I  omit  the  great  English  physicists, 
Wheatstone,  Cooke,  Daniell,  Grove,  Davy,  and  Faraday,  whose  writings 
and  experiments  have  added  much  that  is  new  and  important  to  our 
knowledge  of  the  subject  of  electricity  and  magnetism. 

But  it  is  to  an  American  experimenter,  Prof.  Henry,  that  we  are 
indebted  for  the  corner-stone  by  which  the  electro-magnetic  telegraph 
received  the  most  important  and  completing  part,  namely — the  use  of 
a  long  circuit  of  wire,  the  proper  form  of  wire  and  magnet  to  be  em- 
ployed, and  those  masterly  experiments  of  his  which  made  his  name 


INTRODUCTION.  Vll 

known  throughout  Europe  and  his  native  land,  as  one  worthy  of  being 
honored.  It  is  to  the  joint  labors  of  Prof.  Morse,  and  Profs.  Henry 
and  Gale,  that  we  are  indebted  for  one  of  the  best  forms  of  telegraph 
the  world  has  ever  produced. 

Still  more  recent  is  the  most  interesting  of  all  the  forms  of  tele- 
graph, that  of  Mr.  House,  which,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  has  never 
been  described  before  so  much  in  detail.  It  will  add  a  new  laurel 
to  the  brow  of  the  American  people,  and,  for  beauty  of  design  and 
utility,  will  strike  at  once  even  those  uninitiated  in  the  mysteries 
of  electric  telegraphing,  by  placing  in  their  hands  communications 
from  their  friends  thousands  of  miles  off,  in  the  course  of  a  few 
minutes,  printed  in  Eoman  letters,  which  require  no  translation. 
This  wonderful  piece  of  mechanism  is  worthy  of  the  study  of  those 
interested  in  the  physical  sciences,  as  it  combines  principles  of  me- 
chanics, as  well  as  the  reciprocal  action  of  electric  and  magnetic 
currents. 

I  have,  in  the  succeeding  pages,  arranged  my  subject  under  three 
heads,  namely — common,  or  statical  electricity  applied  to  telegraphing; 
secondly,  galvanic  or  chemical  electricity ;  and,  thirdly,  electro-magnet- 
ism applied  to  telegraphing. 

In  an  Appendix,  I  have  given  the  decision  of  Judge  Kane,  in  the 
case  of  French  vs.  Kogers ;  also  that  of  Judge  Woodbury,  in  the  case 
of  Smith  vs.  Downing,  tried  at  Boston,  1851. 

In  regard  to  rival  claims  for  the  first  discovery  of  the  electro-mag- 
netic telegraph,  I  have  endeavored  to  follow  the  rule  of  its  first  publi- 
cation, as,  for  instance,  although  Steinheil's  telegraph  is  stated  to  have 
been  in  operation  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1837,  still  there  was 
no  published  account  of  it  until  July,  1837,  so  that  I  have  placed 
Prof.  Morse's  as  the  first  electro-magnetic  telegraph — his  publication 
being  in  April,  1837.  In  1851,  during  the  publication  of  my  articles 
in  the  Journal  of  the  Franklin  Institute,  I  received  a  work  styled 
"  Book  of  the  Telegraph,"  a  popular  account  of  it,  published  by  Mr. 
Daniel  Davis,  of  Boston ;  but  although  in  the  English,  it  does  not  con- 
tain all  the  important  points  connected  with  electric  telegraphing.  I 
have  also  received  the  work  of  Brockman,  published  in  Germany,  and 
the  original  papers  of  Siemens,  of  Berlin,  presented  to  the  Academy 
of  Sciences  of  Paris,  from  all  of  which  I  have  culled  whatever  I 
thought  would  be  useful  in  a  work  devoted  to  the  subject  of  the 
telegraph. 

"  Telegraphing,  in  this  country,  has  reached  that  point,  by  its  great 
stretch  of  wires  and  great  facilities  for  transmission  of  communica- 
tions, as  to  almost  rival  the  mail  in  the  quantity  of  matter  sent  over 


Vlii  INTRODUCTION'. 

it.  It  has  become  indispensable  to  many  business  transactions,  and 
an  interruption  of  the  communication  between  cities  is  severely  felt 
by  the  business  community.  Nearly  seven  hundred  messages,  exclu- 
sive of  those  for  the  press,  were  sent  in  one  day  over  the  Morse 
Albany  line.  The  Bain  line  at  Boston,  a  few  days  after,  sent 
and  received  five  hundred  communications,  exclusive  of  reports  for 
the  press.  These  facts  show  how  important  an  agent  the  magnetic 
telegraph  has  become  in  the  transmission  of  business  communications. 
It  is  every  day  coming  more  and  more  into  use,  and  every  day 
adding  to  its  power  to  be  useful." 

September,  1852. 


THE 


ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


THE  term  Telegraph  is  derived  from  the  two  Greek  words  t^t 
(tele)  and  ypa<j>w  (grapho),  meaning,  "  I  write  afar  off."  It  is  the  name 
given  to  any  mechanical  contrivance  for  the  rapid  communication  of 
intelligence  by  signals.  Of  late  years,  the  term  semaphore  (from 
sema  (f^a),  a  sign,  and  phoreo  (t°pf"),  /  bear),  has  been  introduced  by 
the  French,  and  frequently  adopted  by  English  writers. 

Although  the  art  of  conveying  intelligence  by  signals  was  practised 
in  the  earliest  ages,  and  was  known  even  to  the  rudest  savages,  and 
although  its  importance  is  not  only  obvious,  but  continually  felt, 
wherever  government  is  established,  it  has  been  allowed  to  remain  in 
its  original  state  of  imperfection  down  almost  to  the  present  day.  The 
first  notice  of  any  method  of  this  kind  of  communication  is  to  be 
found  in  the  6th  chapter  and  1st  verse  of  the  prophet  Jeremiah.  He 
says :  "  0,  ye  children  of  Benjamin,  gather  yourselves  to  flee  out  of  the 
midst  of  Jerusalem,  and  blow  the  trumpet  in  Tekoa,  and  set  up  a  sign 
of  fire  in  Beth-haccerem." 

The  proposed  object  of  the  telegraphic  art  is  to  obtain  a  figurative 
language,  the  characters  of  which  may  be  distinguished  at  a  distance. 
Barbarous  nations  employed  torches,  fires  on  the  tops  of  distant  hills, 
hoisting  of  flags,  carrier-pigeons,  drums,  speaking-trumpets,  &c. 
More  recently,  since  the  invention  of  gunpowder,  cannon  and  sky- 
rockets have  been  applied  to  the  same  use. 

The  first  description  of  a  telegraph  universally  applicable,  was  given 
by  Dr.  Hooke,  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions  for  1684.  The  method 
which  he  proposed  (for  it  was  not  carried  into  effect)  consisted  in 
preparing  as  many  different-shaped  figures,  formed  of  deal,  as,  for  ex 
ample,  squares,  triangles,  circles,  &c.  as  there  are  letters  in  the  alpha- 
bet. He  exhibited  them  successively,  in  the  required  order,  from  be- 
hind a  screen,  and  proposed  that  torches  or  other  lights,  combined  in 
different  arrangements,  should  supply  their  place  by  night. 

About  twenty  years  later,  Arnontons,  of  Paris,  exhibited  some  ex- 
periments before  the  royal  family  of  France  and  the  members  of  the 
Academy  of  Sciences,  by  which  the  practicability  of  the  art  was  de- 
2 


18  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

monstrated.  It  was  not  until  1794  that  these  experiments  were  ap- 
plied to  any  useful  purpose,  when  the  plan  was  adopted  for  conveying 
intelligence  to  the  French  armies. 

The  first  telegraph  actually  used  was  the  invention  of  Chappe.  It 
consisted  of  a  beam,  which  turned  on  a  pivot  in  the  top  of  an  upright 
post,  having  a  movable  arm  at  each  of  its  extremities ;  and  each  dif- 
ferent position  in  which  the  beam  and  its  two  arms  could  be  placed  at 
angles  of  45°,  afforded  a  separate  signal  which  might  represent  a  letter 
of  the  alphabet,  or  have  some  other  signification  that  might  be  agreed 
upon. 

In  the  following  year,  1795,  several  plans  were  submitted  to  the 
English  Admiralty,  of  which  one,  proposed  by  Lord  George  Murray, 
was  adopted,  and  continued  to  be  made  use  of  down  to  the  year  1816. 
It  consisted  of  six  shutters  arranged  in  two  frames,  which  being 
opened  and  shut  according  to  all  the  different  combinations  which  can 
be  formed,  afforded  the  means  of  giving  sixty -three  separate  and  dis- 
tinct signals. 

In  1803,  the  French  erected  semaphores  along  their  whole  line  of 
coast,  formed  of  upright  posts,  bearing  two,  or  sometimes  three,  beams 
of  wood,  each  turning  on  its  own  pivot,  one  above  the  other. 

In  1807,  Captain  Pasley,  of  the  Royal  Engineers,  published  his 
Polygrammatic  Telegraph,  differing  from  the  French  semaphore  by 
having  beams  turning  on  the  same  pivot ;  and,  in  order  to  obtain  a 
sufficient  number  of  different  signals,  he  proposed  to  erect  two  or 
three  posts  at  each  station. 

In  1816,  Sir  Home  Popham  considerably  simplified 
this  construction.  His  telegraph  consists  of  merely  two 
arms,  movable  on  different  pivots,  on  the  same  mast,  as 
seen  in  the  annexed  figure. 

Lastly,  in  1822,  General  Pasley  still  farther  simplified 
its  construction,  by  placing  the  two  arms  on  the  same 
axis.     For  day  signals,  the  telegraph  consists  of  an  up- 
right post  of  sufficient  height,  with  the  two  arms  mov- 
able on  the  same  pivot  on  the  top  of  it,  and  a  short  arm 
called  the  indicator,  on  one  side ;  as  seen  in  the  annexed 
figure.     Each  arm  can  exbibit  the  seven  positions  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7, 
besides  the  position  called  the  stop,  which  points  vertically  downwards, 
and  is  hid  by  the  post.     The  use  of  the  indicator  is  to 
3^   i^    5         show  the  order  or  direction  in  which  the  signals  are  to 
be  reckoned.     In  order  to  adapt  the  telegraph  to  the 
purpose  of  making  night  signals,  a  lantern,  called  the 
central  light,  is  fixed  to  the  pivot  on  which  the  arms 
move,  and  one  is  also  attached  to  the  extremity  of  each 
arm.     A  fourth  lantern  is  also  placed  on  the  extremity 

of  the  indicator.     Motion  is  communicated  to  these  arms 

by  means  of  an  endless  chain  passing  over  two  pulleys ; 
one  fixed  to  the  arm  itself,  and  turning  on  the  same  pivot,  and  the 
other  on  a  pivot  fixed  to  the  lower  part  of  the  post,  within  the  reach 
of  the  signal-man.  The  required  positions  are  pointed  out  by  a  dial- 


\ 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  19 

plate,  the  index  of  which  is  moved  by  a  lever  attached  to  the  lower 
pulley. 

In  the  Eeport  on  Telegraphs  for  the  United  States,  made  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  Hon.  Levi  Woodbury,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  by  the 
Committee  on  Science  and  the  Arts  of  the  Franklin  Institute,  the  Com- 
mittee say : — 

"We  are  disposed  to  recommend  a  much  more  simple  instrument, 
nearly  similar  to  one  lately  introduced  by  M.  Chateau,  in  a  line  of 
telegraphs  which  the  Eussian  Government  is  erecting  between  Peters- 
burg and  Warsaw,  and  which  is  described  in  a  late  number  of  the 
Petersburg  Transactions,  by  M.  Parrot,  together  with  a  scheme  of  his 
own,  almost  identical  with  it,  on  which  he  had  made  successful  experi- 
ments many  years  before. 

"  This  proposed  telegraph  consists  of  a  single  arm,  or  indicator,  which 
should  be  about  nine  feet  long  and  one  foot  wide,  with  a  cross  piece  at 
one  end,  about  three  feet  long  and  one  wide;  the  whole  arm  being 
movable  about  an  axis  at  its  centre.  The  arms  are  formed  like  Vene- 
tian shutters,  and  are  painted  a  dead  black ;  the  apparatus  and  fixtures 
about  it  being  white. 

"  The  movements  may  be  communicated  with  ease  and  certainty, 
either  by  an  endless  chain  passing  over  a  wheel  on  the  axis,  and  a 
wheel  in  the  building ;  or  by  bevel-wheels  on  the  axis,  and  on  a  verti- 
cal bar  passing  from  the  building;  or  by  a  cog-wheel  on  the  axis,  and 
an  endless  screw  on  the  vertical  bar. 

"  For  night  signals,  three  lamps  are  used ;  one  swinging  beyond  the 
end  of  the  arm,  the  other  two  beyond  the  ends  of  the  cross  piece." 

Every  system  of  telegraphic  signals,  according  to  this  plan,  is  of 
necessity  accompanied  with  a  telegraphic  dictionary,  containing  the 
meaning  of  the  different  combinations  of  signs.  They  were  defective,  , 
from  inability  to  communicate  all  kinds  of  information,  uncertainty  in 
practice,  a  want  of  simplicity  in  operation,  were  too  slow  in  conveying 
intelligence,  and  afforded  no  means  for  secrecy  in  correspondence.  The 
rapidity  with  which  electricity  traverses  great  lengths  of  conducting 
matter,  coupled  with  the  power  which  it  possesses  of  deflecting  electro- 
meters, had  at  an  early  period  led  to  the  idea  of  employing  it  as  a 
means  of  conveving  signals  from  place  to  place ;  and  this  system  has, 
within  the  last  few  years,  been  brought  to  such  a  degree  of  perfection, 
as  to  render  it  more  than  probable,  that  ere  long  it  will  supersede  all 
other  modes  of  conveying  intelligence,  not  merely  for  telegraphic  pur- 
poses, but  also  for  many  other  similar  and  not  less  important  uses. 
(/Solley's  Lee.  on  Tel)  The  peculiar  properties  of  electricity  upon  which 
the  action  of  the  telegraph  depends,  are  its  passage  along  conducting 
bodies,  the  power  to  render  iron  a  temporary  magnet,  its  capability  to 
decompose  chemical  combinations,  and  cause  deflection  of  the  galvano- 
meter needle.  An  electric  telegraph  is  an  instrument  or  apparatus 
which,  by  means  of  conductors  of  iron,  copper,  soil,  or  water,  conveys 
intelligence  to  any  given  distance  with  the  velocity  of  lightning. 

Previous  to  the  publication  of  any  inventions  for  this  purpose,  a 
number  of  experiments  had  been  made  as  to  the  transmission  of  elec- 
tricity through  considerable  length  of  iron  wire,  water,  and  even  soil. 


20  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

In  1729,  Mr.  Grey  and  Mr.  Wheeler  observed  the  instantaneous  dis- 
charge of  electricity  through  some  hundreds  of  feet  of  wire. 

In  1746,  Winckler,  at  Leipsic,  and  Nollet  Lemonnier,  at  Paris,  made 
numerous  experiments  on  the  transmission  of  electricity  through  water, 
earth,  &c. ;  in  one  case,  wires  of  more  than  two  miles  in  length  were 
employed.  (Philosophical  Transactions,  1746.) 

In  July,  1747,  Dr.  Watson,  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  together  with  several 
other  electricians,  ascertained  the  passage  of  electricity  through  water, 
by  sending  shocks  across  the  Thames ;  experiments  which  they  sub- 
sequently repeated  on  a  still  larger  scale  through  the  New  Kiver,  at 
Newington ;  and  in  August,  1747,  they  transmitted  shocks  through 
two  miles  of  wire,  and  two  miles  of  earth  at  Shooter's  Hill.  The  pas- 
sage of  electricity  through  water  excited  a  great  deal  of  interest,  and 
these  experiments  were  repeated  in  1748,  by  Franklin,  across  the 
Schuylkill,  at  Philadelphia;  and  in  1749,  by  De  Luc,  across  the  Lake 
of  Geneva. 

Though  electricity  is  the  agent  used  in  common  by  all  telegraph 
operators,  its  mode  of  application  has  been  as  manifold  as  the  number 
of  laborers  in  this  most  interesting  combination  of  science  and  art. 
Those  now  in  use,  and  before  described  by  historians,  can  be  included 
in  three  divisions ; — taking  them  in  the  order  of  discovery  and  appli- 
cation, we  have  first  the  electric,  in  which  simple  frictional  electricity 
was  alone  used ;  next  the  galvanic,  where  voltaic  electricity  was  em- 
ployed ;  and  last,  the  electro-magnetic,  combining  the  agencies  of  elec- 
tricity'and  magnetism.  The  first  was  used  during  the  period  from 
1745  to  1800;  the  second  from  1800  to  1825,  the  third  from  1825  to 
the  present  time.  From  1820  to  1850,  there  have  been  no  less  than 
sixty -three  claimants  for  different  varieties  of  telegraph. 

The  first  electric  telegraph  appears  to  have  been  made  about  the 
year  1786 ;  though  long  before  that  time  the  vague  idea  of  a  magical 
magnetic  telegraph  appears  to  have  been  entertained ;  for  the  Koman 
Jesuit  Strada,  who  lived  from  1572  to  1649,  in  a  curious  book,  dated 
1617,  entitled  Prolusions,  describes  a  fabled  contrivance  of  two  mag- 
netic needles,  attached  to  dials,  bearing  a  circle  of  letters,  and  which 
possessed  the  property  of  always  indicating  the  same  letter,  so  that 
when  one  needle  was  made  to  point  to  any  particular  letter,  the  other 
needle,  however  distant  at  the  time,  placed  itself  so  as  to  point  to  the 
same  letter.  An  account  of  this  curious  idea  will  be  found  in  the 
Spectator,  241,  and  Guardian,  119. 

The  first  real  attempt  which  seems  to  have  been  made  to  render 
electricity  available  for  the  transmission  of  signals,  is  described  by 
Moigno,  in  his  Traite  de  Telegraphic  Electrique.  It  is  that  of  Lesage,  a 
scientific  Frenchman,  who,  in  1774,  established  an  electric  telegraph  at 
Geneva,  composed  of  24  metallic  wires,  separated  from  each  other,  and 
immersed  in  a  non-conducting  matter.  Every  wire  corresponded  with 
a  particular  electrometer,  formed  of  a  small  ball  of  elder,  suspended  by 
a  wire.  By  placing  an  electrical  machine  in  communication  with  either 
of  these  wires,  the  ball  of  the  electrometer  which  corresponded  to  it 
was  repulsed,  and  the  movement  designated  the  letter  of  the  alphabet, 
or  whatever  conventional  signal  it  was  wished  to  transmit. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  21 

In  the  first  volume,  page  42,  of  Arthur  Young's  Travels  in  France, 
during  the  year  1757,  will  be  found  the  following  description  of  an 
electric  telegraph : — 

"  Mr.  Lomond  has  made  a  remarkable  discovery  in  electricity.  You 
write  two  or  three  words  upon  paper ;  he  takes  them  with  him  into  a 
chamber,  and  turns  a  machine  in  a  cylinder  case,  on  the  top  of  which 
is  an  electrometer,  having  a  pretty  little  ball  of  pith  of  a  quill  sus- 
pended by  a  silk  thread ;  a  brass  wire  connects  it  to  a  similar  cylinder 
and  electrometer  in  a  distant  apartment,  and  his  wife,  on  observing  the 
movements  of  the  corresponding  ball,  wrote  the  words  which  it  indi- 
cated. From  this  it  appears  that  he  had  made  an  alphabet  of  move- 
ments ;  and  as  the  length  of  the  brass  wire  made  no  difference,  you 
could  correspond  at  a  great  distance,  as  for  example,  with  a  besieged 
city,  or  for  purposes  of  more  importance." 

Electricity  was  generated  and  retained  by  the  common  machine  and 
a  Ley  den  phial.  Having  but  one  movement,  and  using  an  apparatus 
extremely  delicate,  we  must  suppose  this  mode  of  communication  to 
be  limited  and  dilatory. 

In  Voigfs  Magazine  for  1794,  vol.  ix.  p.  183,  there  is  a  letter  from 
Eeusser,  of  Geneva,  in  which  he  describes  an  electric  felegraph.  In 
this  contrivance,  a  number  of  strips  of  tinfoil  were  fastened  on  a  glass 
plate,  each  strip  having  a  different  letter  marked  on  it,  and  connected 
by  carefully  insulated  wires  inclosed  in  glass  tubes,  with  a  correspond- 
ing glass  plate  at  a  distance.  Thus  there  was  a  separate  wire  for  each 
letter,  and  one  return  wire  for  the  whole  series.  Signals  were  trans- 
mitted by  sending  electric  shocks  through  the  different  wires,  and 
noting  down  the  letters  attached  to  the  strips  of  tinfoil,  where  the 
sparks  were  observed.  The  attention  of  the  observer  at  a  distant 
station  was  drawn  by  firing  an  inflammable  air  pistol  attached  to  the 
apparatus,  by  means  of  an  electric  spark. 

"  A  similar  and  yet  more  practical  proposition  was  soon  after  made 
by  Professor  Boeckman.  He  proposed  to  choose  as  the  signals  the 
sparks  passing  at  the  distant  station,  using  only  two  wires,  by  which 
first  one  and  then,  after  certain  intervals,  more  sparks  being  com- 
binedly  grouped,"  indicating  the  particular  letter,  so  as  to  get  rid  of 
the  large  number  of  wires  used  by  Reusser,  and  also  the  twenty-six 
glass  plates ;  in  the  same  manner  as  the  alarms  of  fire  are  indicated 
by  our  State  House  clock. — Dr.  H.  Schelleris  Electro- Magnetic  Tele- 
graph, p.  46,  1850. 

The  Madrid  Gazette  of  November  25,  1796,  states,  that  the  Prince 
de  la  Paix,  having  heard  that  M.  D.  F.  Salva  had  read  to  the  Acadamy 
of  Sciences,  a  memoir  upon  the  application  of  electricity  to  telegraph- 
ing, and  presented  at  the  same  time  an  electric  telegraph  of  his  own 
invention,  desired  to  examine  it ;  when,  being  delighted  with  the 
promptness  and  facility  with  which  it  worked,  he  presented  it  before 
the  king  and  court,  operating  it  himself.  After  these  experiments,  the 
Infanta  Don  Antonio  desired  another  more  complete  telegraph,  and 
occupied  himself  in  testing  the  quantity  of  electricity  that  would  be 
required  by  the  telegraph  at  different  distances,  whether  on  land  or 
water. 


22  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

Some  useful  trials  were  made  and  published  in  Voigfs  Magazine. 
Two  years  after,  the  Infanta  Don  Antonio  constructed  a  telegraph  of 
great  extent  on  a  large  scale,  by  which  the  young  prince  was  informed 
at  night  of  news  in  which  he  was  much  interested.  He  also  invited 
and  entertained  Salva  at  court.  According  to  Humboldt,  a  telegraph 
of  this  description  was  established  in  1798,  from  Madrid  to  Aranjuez, 
a  distance  of  26  miles.  Other  writers  affirm,  that  M.  Betancourt  esta- 
blished a  line  of  telegraph  between  the  same  places  in  1787,  and 
worked  it  with  frictional  electricity. 

M.  Cavallo  published  some  experiments  which  he  had  made  on  the 
transmission  of  signals  in  1795.  (4th  edition,  Traite  de  Electricitie 
published  1798,  vol.  iii.  page  285.)  The  most  important  of  these  con- 
sisted in  firing  gunpowder,  phosphorus,  and  hydrogen,  by  electric 
sparks,  at  a  distance  of  a  few  hundred  feet.  He  adds,  that  the  same 
might  be  done  at  the  distance  of  many  miles. 

The  next  electric  telegraph  in  order  of  dates,  was  that  of  Mr.  Francis 
Konalds,  who  in  1816  constructed  one,  by  means  of  which  he  was 
enabled  to  send  signals  with  considerable  facility  and  rapidity,  through 
a  distance  of  eight  miles,  using  frictional  electricity.  He  published  a 
work  in  1823,  describing  his  telegraph,  and  illustrating  it  with  plates; 
also  several  other  electrical  instruments  of  his  invention.  This  plan 
was  very  simple ;  at  either  end  of  the  wires  was  a  clock,  carrying  a 
light  paper  disk,  on  which  were  marked  the  letters  of  the  alphabet, 
and  certain  words  and  numbers.  By  means  of  a  perforated  cover, 
only  one  letter  and  figure  were  visible  at  a  time,  and,  as  the  clock 
continued  to  go,  every  letter  in  turn  was  presented  at  the  aperture 
to  the  view.  As  the  clocks  kept  accurate  time,  it  is  evident  that  the 
same  letter  would  always  be  visible  at  both  clocks,  and  therefore 
that  if  an  electric  discharge  were  sent  from  one  station  to  another, 
when  a  particular  letter  was  exhibited  on  the  dial,  the  observer  at 
the  other  station  would  readily  know  the  signal  intended.  The  wires 
were  buried  under  ground,  in  dry  and  well  insulated  glass  tubes. 
The  attention  of  the  observer  was,  at  the  outset,  drawn  to  the  instru- 
ment by  an  inflammable  air  gun  fired  by  an  electric  spark,  and  the 
subsequent  signals  indicated  by  the  divergence  of  two  small  pith  balls 
suspended  in  front  of  the  revolving  disks,  a  distance  of  eight  miles 
along  a  wire. 

Fig.  1  shows  the  form  of  the  apparatus  used  at  either  end  of  the  tele- 
graph. J,  the  air  pistol ;  B,  the  dial,  exhibiting  one  letter  only  through 
a  slit;  (7,  pith  ball  electrometer;  D,  conducting  wire.  Fig.  2,  the  dial 
without  the  slit,  showing  the  letters  and  numbers  upon  it. 

Harrison  Grey  Dyer,  an  American,  constructed  a  telegraph  in 
1827-8  at  the  race-course  on  Long  Island,  and  supported  his  wires  by 
glass  insulators  fixed  on  trees  and  poles.  By  means  of  common 
electricity,  acting  upon  litmus  paper,  he  produced  a  red  mark,  and 
then  passed  the  current  through  the  ground  as  a  return  circuit.  The 
difference  of  time  between  the  sparks  indicated  different  letters  ar- 
ranged in  an  arbitrary  alphabet,  and  the  paper  was  moved  by  the  hand. 
— BeWs  Evidence  in  House's  Case. 

Like  many  preceding  it,  this  instrument  appears  to  have  been  little 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


23 


more  than  a  philosophical  toy — frictional  electricity  being  too  easily 
dissipated,  rapid  and  incontinuous  in  action,  confined  with  great  diffi- 


Fig.  1. 


Fig.  2. 


culty  to  conductors,  and  devoid  of  that  dense,  energetic,  yet  almost 
imperceptible  force  which  renders  galvanic  electricity  so  available  in 
this  art.  His  instrument  is  far  inferior  to  that  of  Soemmering,  invented 
twenty  years  before,  and  indicates  a  want  of  proper  regard  for,  or  in- 
formation of,  the  discoveries  of  Galvani,  (Erstead,  Ampere,  and  a  host 
of  others. 

Before  considering  the  individual  galvanic  telegraphs,  it  will  be 
proper  to  state  the  most  important  phenomena  and  laws  of  galvanism ; 
also  the  principal  forms  of  voltaic  apparatus. 

The  first  instrument  of  importance  was  the  voltaic  pile  of  Professor 
Volta,  of  Pavia,  a  description  of  which  is  published  in  the  Philosophical 
Transactions  of  1800 ;  although  the  discovery  of  galvanism  is  due  to 
Galvani,  Professor  of  Anatomy  at  Bologna,  who  found  that,  by  forming 
a  chain  of  conducting  substances  between  the  outside  of  the  muscles 
of  the  leg  and  the  crural  nerve  of  a  frog,  convulsions  might  be  pro- 
duced. Galvani  previously  entertained  the  idea,  that  the  contractions 
of  the  muscles  of  animals  were  dependent  on  electricity. 

The  invention  of  the  pile  by  Yolta,  was  the  result  of  profound 
thought  on  the  development  of  electricity  at  the  surface  of  contact  of 
different  metals. 

The  galvanic  pile  of  Yolta  consisted  of  an  equal  number  of  silver 
coins  and  pieces  of  zinc  of  the  same  form,  with  circular  disks  of  card 
soaked  in  salt  water ;  of  these,  he  formed  a  pile  or  column  by  placing 
them  alternately.  If  the  uppermost  disk  of  metal,  either  copper  or 
silver,  be  touched  with  the  finger,  previously  wetted,  while  a  finger  of 
the  other  hand  is  applied  to  the  lowest  disk,  a  distinct  shock  is  felt, 
which  is  increased  with  the  number  of  plates.  Instead  of  the  moist 
conductor  we  now  use  liquids  of  various  kinds,  and  electricians  have 
devised  various  forms  of  batteries,  but  all  based  on  the  important 
principle  discovered  by  Yolta. 

"By  the  voltaic  pile,  I  mean  such  apparatus  or  arrangement  of 
metals  as  contain  water,  brine,  acid,  or  other  aqueous  solutions  or  de- 


24  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

composable  substances  between  their  plates  ;  decomposition  is  an  es- 
sential chemical  part  of  every  voltaic  battery." — Faraday's  Researches. 

It  was  Yolta  who  removed  our  doubtful  knowledge.  "  Such  know- 
ledge is  the  early  morning  light  of  every  advancing  science,  and  is 
essential  to  its  development ;  but  the  man  who  is  engaged  in  dispelling 
that  which  is  deceptive  in  it,  and  revealing  more  clearly  that  which  is 
true,  is  as  useful  in  his  place,  and  as  necessary  to  the  general  progress 
of  science,  as  he  who  first  broke  through  the  intellectual  darkness,  and 
opened  a  path  into  knowledge  before  unknown." — Ibid. 

According  to  Professor  Faraday,  the  supply  of  electricity  is  due  to 
chemical  power  in  the  voltaic  pile,  metallic  contact  not  being  neces- 
sary for  the  production  of  the  voltaic  current ;  and  farther,  that  elec- 
tricity is  only  another  mode  of  the  exertion  of  pure  unmixed  chemical 
forces.  It  is  proportional  in  its  intensities  to  the  intensities  of  the 
affinities  concerned  in  its  production,  and  its  quantity  to  the  quantity 
of  matter  which  has  been  chemically  active  during  its  evolution.  It 
is  the  union  of  oxygen  of  the  water  which  determines  the  current ;  and 
though  the  acid  is  essential  to  the  removal  of  the  oxide  so  formed,  in 
order  that  another  portion  of  zinc  may  act  on  another  portion  of  water, 
it  does  not  by  combination  with  that  oxide  produce  any  sensible  por- 
tion of  the  circulating  electrical  current ;  for  the  quantity  of  electricity 
is  dependent  on  the  quantity  of  zinc  oxidized,  and  is  scarcely,  if  at  all, 
affected  by  the  use  of  either  strong  or  weak  acid.  Galvanic  differs 
from  fractional  electricity  in  its  low  degree  of  intensity ;  the  larger 
amount  set  in  motion,  the  greater  constancy,  more  perpetual  repro- 
duction, less  tendency  to  escape,  and  better  conduction  along  metallic 
substances  without  being  dissipated.  The  unequal  character  of  all  the 
batteries  previous  to  the  one  introduced  by  the  late  Prof.  Daniell,  of 
King's  College,  London,  was  a  serious  obstacle  to  telegraphic  opera- 
tions ;  they  are  familiar  to  most  persons  who  have  taken  any  interest 
in  this  important  matter,  and  I  will  therefore  omit  them. 

Prof.  Daniell  was  the  first  to  invent  a  battery  capable  of  constant 
and  steady  action,  and  thus  overcame  the  defects  of  those  previously 
in  use.  The  defects  which  cause  the  electromotive  action  to  subside 
rapidly  and  soon  to  cease  altogether,  are:  1.  The  sulphuric  acid  be- 
comes saturated  with  the  oxide  of  zinc.  2.  The  hydrogen  adheres  to 
the  surface  of  the  metals,  and  thus  prevents  their  perfect  contact  with 
the  water.  3.  By  the-  chemical  action  of  the  battery,  the  zinc  con- 
tained in  the  sulphate  of  zinc  which  is  formed,  is  reduced  to  the  me- 
tallic state  at  the  surface  of  the  copper,  and  deposited  upon  it  in  the 
form  of  a  crust,  where  it  acts  locally  and  impairs  the  conducting  power. 

4.  Electricity  is  carried  off  and  dissipated  by  the  escaping  hydrogen. 

5.  Impurities  on  the  surface  of  the  zinc  form  small  circuits,  by  which 
the  electricity  is  conducted  back  into  it,  without  going  through  the 
fluid  to  the  copper,  and  then  returning  by  metallic  connection. 

The  adhesion  of  hydrogen  to  the  zinc  plate,  does  not  take  place 
when  that  metal  is  pure  or  amalgamated  with  mercury.  Prof.  Daniell, 
therefore,  employs  a  cylindrical  rod  of  zinc,  amalgamated  with  mer- 
cury, instead  of  a  plate  of  the  common  and  impure  metal.  The  amal- 
gamation has  also  the  effect  of  preventing  the  small  local  electric  cir- 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  25 

cults,  by  covering  up  the  impurities  which  exist  on  its  surface.  This 
was  first  introduced  by  Sturgeon.  But  the  peculiar  and  most  valuable 
feature  of  this  battery  is  the  use  of  a  porous  partition,  which  may  be 
formed  of  animal  membrane,  earthenware,  plaster  of  Paris,  paper,  or 
any  similar  substance.  This  divides  the  vessels  containing  the  metals 
into  two  cells,  one  of  which,  the  zinc  cell,  is  filled  with  dilute  sulphuric- 
acid,  in  the  proportion  of  ten  parts  water  to  one  of  acid,  and  the  other 
with  an  acid  solution  of  sulphate  of  copper.  The  partition  freely  trans- 
mits the  electrical  current,  but  prevents  the  passage  of  the  sulphate  of 
zinc  to  the  copper  plate,  and  thus  remedies  the  third  of  the  above- 
mentioned  defects.  The  sulphate  of  copper  is  decomposed  into  sul- 
phuric acid  and  protoxide  of  copper.  The  sulphuric  acid  passes 
through  the  partition  into  the  zinc  cell,  there  to  act  upon  the  oxide  of 
zinc,  while  the  oxide  of  copper  is  again  decomposed  into  oxygen  and 
metallic  copper.  The  oxygen  unites  with  the  nascent  hydrogen  formed 
in  the  oxidation  of  the  zinc  to  form  water,  and  the  metallic  copper  is 
deposited  on  the  copper  plate,  keeping  the  plate  constantly  bright, 
and  thus  making  it  a  better  conductor.  The  hydrogen  being  consumed 
in  the  formation  of  water,  it  cannot  interfere  with  the  action  of  the 
conducting  plate,  nor  convey  away  electricity.  A  little  frame  is  fitted 
to  the  top  of  the  cell,  in  which  crystals  of  sulphate  of  copper  are 
placed,  in  order  that  the  strength  of  the  solution  may  remain  unim- 
paired. 

Another  form  of  battery,  proposed  by  Prof.  Grove,  of  London,  is  an 
improvement  upon  Prof.  Daniell's,  in  respect  to  amount  of  force  gene- 
rated in  a  small  space,  and  has  been  adopted  in  most  of  the  telegraphic 
offices  of  this  country.  A  platinum  plate  is  substituted  for  the  copper 
one  of  Prof.  Daniell,  and  instead  of  sulphate  of  copper,  strong  nitric 
acid  is  used,  which  furnishes  oxygen  to  unite  with  the  hydrogen.  The 
oxygen  in  nitric  acid  is  held  by  very  slight  affinity,  and  many  chemi- 
cal substances  reduce  the  nitric  acid  to  hypo-nitrous  and  nitrous  acid, 
which  contains  one  and  two  equivalents  less.  The  increase  of  power 
in  Grove's  battery  over  Daniell's  battery,  for  the  same  amount  of  zinc 
dissolved,  is  equal  to  the  difference  of  affinity  between  oxygen  for 
nitrous  acid  and  oxygen  for  zinc.  The  force  of  Grove's  battery  is, 
therefore,  equal  to  the  affinity  of  oxygen  for  zinc,  minus  the  affinity  of 
oxygen  for  nitrous  acid.  The  energy  of  a  galvanic  arrangement  de- 
pends to  some  extent  upon  the  difference  in  the  affinity  for  oxygen  of 
the  metals  employed,  which  in  the  case  of  platinum  and  zinc,  is  at  a 
maximum,  zinc  being  most  readily  oxidized,  and  platinum  least  so. 
The  zinc  plate,  as  in  Daniell's,  is  amalgamated  and  surrounded  by  sul- 
phuric acid,  diluted  with  eight  parts  of  water,  while  the  nitric  acid  is 
placed  in  the  platinum  cell.  A  Grove  battery,  exposing  a  surface  of 
zinc  equal  to  twenty  square  inches,  was  found  by  its  magnetizing 
power,  to  afford  a  current  of  greater  quantity  than  a  Daniell  battery 
exposing  210  inches  of  zinc.  The  intensity  of  the  current  is  also  con- 
sidered three  times  as  great  as  Daniell's,  and  is  remarkable  for  its  con- 
stancy. The  escape  of  nitrous  acid  red  fumes  from  this  feattery,  ren- 
ders it  disagreeable  and  unsafe  to  a  careless  experimenter.  They  are 
irrespirable,  and  injurious  to  nice  apparatus,  which  may  be  exposed  to 


26  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

them.  By  placing  a  wooden  box  over  the  battery,  and  allowing  the 
gases  to  escape  through  an  orifice  stuffed  with  cotton,  wet  with  a  little 
alcohol,  these  may  be  to  some  extent  neutralized.  The  intensity  of 
the  current  depends  on  the  chemical  affinities  which,  are  concerned, 
and  on  this  account  there  is  a  gain  in  Grove's  battery  over  Daniell's. 
Prof.  Callan,  of  Maynooth  College,  Ireland,  has  invented  a  galvanic 
battery,  cheap  in  its  construction  and  use,  yet  powerful.  He  sub- 
stitutes cast-iron  for  the  outer  copper  cell,  and  a  flat  piece  of  zinc  for 
the  inner  one,  with  equal  parts  of  nitric  and  sulphuric  acids  for  the 
outer  cell,  and  a  mixture  of  two  parts  of  nitric  acid,  five  of  sulphuric 
acid,  and  forty -five  of  water,  for  the  inner  one. 

Bunsen's  constant  battery  is  a  modification  of  Grove's,  made  by  the 
substitution  of  carbon  for  platinum ;  it  is  found  to  be  constant  for  a 
longer  time,  but  is  less  energetic  in  its  effects  than  Grove's.  It  is 
much  used  in  Germany.  The  substitution  arose  essentially  from  the 
high  price  of  platinum. 

The  original  Bunsen's  pile  has  hollow  cylinders  of  carbon ;  this  it 
has  been  found  difficult  to  make,  so  that  now  a  more  convenient  ar- 
rangement has  been  contrived  by  M.  Bonijol  of  Paris,  who  employs 
instead  of  hollow  cylinders,  solid  cylinders  of  carbon,  in  the  top  of 
which  is  thrust  a  stout  copper  wire  or  rod,  bent  so  as  to  be  put  into 
communication,  by  means  of  a  cup  filled  with  mercury,  with  a  similar 
rod  soldered  to  each  zinc.  The  top  of  the  carbon  cylinder  around  the 
place  in  which  the  copper  rod  is  inserted,  is  covered  with  a  coating 
made  of  wax,  prepared  so  as  to  penetrate  to  a  sufficient  depth  into  the 
pores  of  the  portion  of  the  carbon  which  it  covers,  and  to  which  it  ad- 
heres strongly.  The  consequence  of  this  is,  that  the  nitric  acid  cannot 
ascend  as  far  as  the  copper  rod.  The  amalgamated  zinc  is  outside  the 
carbon,  being  a  hollow  cylinder  plunged  into  a  glass  vessel  that  is 
filled  with  dilated  sulphuric  acid ;  a  porous  tube  is  placed  in  the  in- 
terior of  the  zinc  cylinder,  and  it  receives  the  carbon  and  pure  or 
diluted  nitric  acid  into  which  the  latter  must  be  plunged. 

The  preparation  of  the  carbon  is  difficult  when  hollow  cylinders  are 
employed.  For  this  purpose  it  is  necessary  to  have  iron  moulds,  and 
then  coke  in  fine  powder  (a  mixture  of  ordinary  gas  coke  and  gas 
coal),  which  is  brought  by  one  or  two  operations  to  a  high  temperature 
after  having  been  mixed  with  sugar  or  molasses  to  cause  a  cohesion 
that  gives  consistency  to  the  whole.  In  Bonijol's  pile,  the  cylinders 
may  be  prepared  of  carbon  in  the  same  manner,  which  is  the  easier,  as 
they  are  solid.  But  the  most  simple  plan  is  to  procure  pieces  of  well- 
baked  coke  of  good  quality  and  of  sufficient  dimensions.  They  are 
cut  (by  a  common  two-handled  cross-cut  saw,  and  water  must  be  fre- 
quently thrown  on  it)  into  the  form  of  cylinders ;  as  to  the  exact  form 
it  is  not  of  much  importance. 

This  form  is  now  made  in  Paris,  in  which  the  carbon  is  perfectly 
cylindrical,  made  according  to  the  process  spoken  of. 

By  a  very  simple  arrangement  the  contact  is  effected  between  the 
carbon  or  zinc  of  each  pair ;  and  to  attach  the  pairs  themselves  upon 
fixed  frames  in  such  a  manner  that,  in  order  to  put  the  battery  in  ac- 
tion, it  is  only  necessary  to  raise  a  wooden  table  that  sustains  the  ves- 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  27 

sels  filled  with  their  liquids,  and  into  which  the  carbon  and  the  zinc 
are  to  be  plunged,  each  in  that  which  appertains  to  it. 

The  following  is  the  account  of  Bunsen's  battery  as  given  by  M. 
Reizet,  from  Les  Comptes  Rendus.  "  A  single  pair  has  power  to  melt 
a  thin  iron  wire,  and  can  be  advantageously  employed  in  galvano- 
plastic  and  gilding  experiments.  The  decomposition  of  water  is  ob- 
tained with  two  elements. 

M.  Bunsen  has  compared  the  intensity  of  the  current  of  the  carbon 
battery  with  Grove's,  by  employing  two  apparatuses  of  equal  dimen- 
sions, and  he  is  hence  led  to  conclude  that  the  maximum  of  the  current 
of  Grove's  battery,  all  things  else  being  equal,  is  hardly  three-hun- 
dredths  superior  to  that  of  the  carbon  battery ;  a  difference  which 
amounts  to  nothing  in  practical  applications.  He  has  concluded,  more- 
over, that  the  carbon  battery  has  the  advantage  of  being  more  constant, 
and  does  not  cost  above  one-fourth  of  the  Grove's  in  construction,  being 
at  the  same  time  as  elegant,  and  much  more  commodious.  He  paid 
about  two  shillings  English  for  an  excellent  cylinder  of  carbon,  having 
20  to  21  square  inches  of  inner  surface.  The  height  of  his  ordinary 
cylinder  is  five  inches,  and  its  diameter  two;  for  uniting  the  pairs  cop- 
per clamps  are  found  better  than  screws,  on  account  of  the  acid  va- 
pours. 

The  effect  of  the  galvanic  current  on  the  nerves  and  muscles  of  ani- 
mals, is  essentially  the  same  as  that  produced  by  frictional  electricity, 
modified,  however,  in  some  degree,  by  the  continuous  action  of  it. 
They  are  also  characterized  by  the  presence  of  some  chemical  influence, 
which  excites  the  organs  of  taste  and  sight  in  a  remarkable  manner. 
Very  small  batteries  are  adequate  to  excite  the  organs  of  taste  and 
sight,  but  a  large  apparatus  is  needed  to  produce  any  perceptible  in- 
fluence on  the  sense  of  touch,  so  as  to  cause  the  muscles  of  the  human 
body  to  contract,  when  it  forms  part  of  the  circuit.  Galvani,  in  his 
fundamental  experiment,  touched  the  nerves  of  a  dead  frog's,  spine 
and  the  muscles  of  one  of  his  thighs  with  two  different  metals,  and 
then  forming  a  circuit  by  a  wire  between  them,  the  leg  became  vio- 
lently contracted.  When  the  nerves  of  vision  are  made  to  form  part 
of  the  voltaic  connection,  peculiar  luminous  flashes  will  appear  before 
the  eyes.  The  excitement  of  the  organ  of  hearing  under  similar  cir- 
cumstances is  not  less  interesting,  a  roaring  sound  being  heard  as  long 
as  the  wires  are  kept  in  place.  On  closely  observing  the  effect  of 
galvanic  electricity  upon  the  muscular  and  nervous  system,  three  dis- 
tinct stages  in  the  process  are  readily  seen.  First,  when  the  circuit  is 
completed,  an  electric  shock  is  experienced ;  next,  the  continued  action 
of  the  current  causes  a  series  of  contractions  rapidly  succeeding  each 
other  ;  and  lastly,  when  the  connection  is  broken,  a  less  violent  shock 
than  before  is  felt.  The  shock  of  the  voltaic  battery  differs  from  that 
of  common  electricity,  as  the  latter  is  felt  far  less  deeply,  affecting  only 
the  outer  part  of  our  organs,  and  being  exhausted  in  a  moment.  The 
voltaic  shock,  on  the  contrary,  penetrates  farther  into  the  system,  pass- 
ing along  the  entire  course  of  the  nerves.  The  influence  of  the  gal- 
vanic current  on  the  nervous  system,  has  been  successfully  applied  to 
the  restoration  of  persons  in  whom  animation  was  suspended.  By 


28  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

means  of  it,  Aldini  set  in  motion  the  feet  of  a  corpse,  caused  the  eyes 
to  open  and  shut,  and  distorted  the  mouth,  cheeks,  and  the  whole 
countenance,  lire,  by  completing  the  circuit  through  the  body  of  a 
man  recently  hung,  caused  the  muscles  of  the  face  to  acquire  a  fright- 
ful activity,  so  that  rage,  despair,  and  anguish,  with  horrid  smiles,  were 
successively  depicted  on  the  countenance.  —  PescheUs  Elements  of 
Physics. 

The  chemical  effects  of  galvanism  are  perhaps  the  most  important 
of  all  that  come  under  our  observation.  Prof.  Faraday's  investigations 
have  recently  added  most  materially  to  our  knowledge  on  this  subject, 
and  it  is  to  him  that  we  are  indebted  for  detecting  most  of  its  laws. 
To  produce  these  effects,  the  electrical  current  must  be  conducted  com- 
pletely through  the  substance  which  is  to  be  decomposed ;  as  soon  as 
the  circuit  is  completed,  the  elements  are  set  in  operation,  and  so  con- 
tinue until  the  connection  is  broken.  The  bodies  to  be  resolved  must 
be  conductors  of  electricity,  and  also  be  in  a  liquid  condition,  that  their 
particles  may  move  freely  among  each  other.  The  circuit  may  be  com- 
pleted through  the  fluid,  by  clipping  into  it  the  metallic  wires  which 
connect  with  the  poles  of  the  battery.  These  extremities  of  the  wire 
are  commonly  termed  poles,  from  an  idea  that  they  exert  attractive  and 
repulsive  energies  towards  the  elements  of  the  decomposing  liquid,  just 
as  the  poles  of  a  magnet  act  towards  iron ;  and  each  is  farther  dis- 
tinguished by  the  term  positive  and  negative,  according  as  it  affects 
an  electrometer  with  positive  or  negative  electricity.  Now  Prof.  Fara- 
day contends,  and  has  proved  by  experiment,  that  these  poles  have  not 
any  attractive  or  repulsive  energy,  and  act  simply  as  a  path,  or  door, 
to  the  current ;  he  hence  calls  them  electrodes,  from  electron,  ex* xrpov, 
electricity,  and  odos,  0605,  a  way.  The  electrodes  are  the  surfaces, 
whether  of  air,  water,  metal,  or  any  other  substance,  which  serve  to 
convey  an  electric  current  into  and  from  the  liquid  to  be  decomposed. 
The  surfaces  of  this  liquid  which  are  in  immediate  contact  with  the 
electrodes,  and  where  the  elements  make  their  appearance,  are  termed 
anode,  and  cathode,  from  ana,  ai/a,  upwards,  and  odos,  o5o?,  the  way  in 
which  the  sun  rises,  and  kata,  *ara,  downwards,  the  way  in  which  the 
sun  sets.  The  anode  is  where  the  positive  current  is  supposed  to  enter, 
and  the  cathode  where  it  quits,  the  decomposing  liquid ;  its  direction, 
when  the  electrodes  are  placed  east  and  west,  corresponding  with  that 
of  the  positive  current,  which  is  thought  to  circulate  on  the  surface  of 
the  earth.  To  electrolyze  a  compound  is  to  decompose  it  by  the  direct 
action  of  galvanism,  its  name  being  formed  from  electron,  ftexrpov,  and 
luo,  xvw,  to  unloose  or  set  free.  An  electrolyte  is  a  compound  which 
may  be  electrolyzed.  The  elements  of  an  electrolyte  are  called  ions 
from  ion,  iov,  going,  neuter  participle  of  the  verb  to  go.  Anions,  are 
the  ions,  which  appear  at  the  anode,  and  are  usually  termed  the  elec- 
tro-negative ingredients  of  a  compound,  such  as  oxygen,  chlorine,  and 
acids ;  while  the  electro-positive  substances,  as  hydrogen,  metals,  alka- 
lies, &c.  which  appear  at  the  cathode,  are  cations.  Whatever  may  be 
thought  of  the  necessity  of  some  of  these  terms,  the  words  electrode, 
electrolyze,  and  electrolyte,  are  peculiarly  appropriate.  —  Faraday's 
Experimental  Researches. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  29 

Water,  the  first  agent  decomposed  in  this  way,  was  electrolyzed  by 
Messrs.  Nicholson  and  Carlisle,  soon  after  the  discovery  of  the  voltaic 
pile.  From  its  low  conducting  power,  water  requires  a  powerful  cur- 
rent for  its  decomposition,  unless  it  be  slightly  acidulated.  In  1803, 
Berzelius  and  Hissinger  ascertained  the  power  of  the  galvanic  battery 
to  resolve  many  other  substances  into  their  elements ;  that  these  ele- 
ments observed  regular  laws  in  their  resolution  into  more  simple  form, 
as  oxygen  and  acids  accumulated  about  the  positive  pole ;  while  hy- 
drogen, alkaline  earths,  and  metals  appeared  at  the  negative  one.  Sir 
H.  Davy  communicated  to  the  Royal  Society  his  celebrated  Lecture 
on  some  chemical  agencies  of  Electricity,  in  1806;  and,  in  1807,  he 
announced  the  grand  discovery  of  the  decomposition  of  the  fixed  alka- 
lies. Faraday's  masterly  productions  on  this  subject  were  elicited  in  the 
period  from  1831  to  1840,  some  of  which  important  results  have  been 
mentioned. 

It  is  an  interesting  matter  to  obtain  a  fixed  rule  or  law,  by  which 
we  can  estimate  the  amount  of  projectile  force  needed  by  a  galvanic  cur- 
rent to  pass  over  a  certain  length  of  telegraphic  wire ;  though  all  such 
rules  must  be  more  or  less  inconclusive,  from  the  number  of  contingent 
circumstances  on  which  they  depend;  still,  from  experiment  and  ob- 
servation, we  can  obtain  those  which  may  be  useful  in  making  what  are 
termed  rough  calculations.  To  make  such  a  computation,  we  must  on 
the  one  hand  find  all  the  sources  which  give  motive  power,  and,  on  the 
other,  seek  those  agencies  which  offer  resistance  to  that  power,  obtain 
the  sum  of  each,  and  then  institute  a  comparison.  The  power  is  that 
electricity  of  intensity  which  a  single  galvanic  cell  is  capable  of  gene- 
rating. This,  multiplied  by  the  number  of  cells,  gives  us  the  whole 
amount  of  electrical  power.  The  resistance  is  that  obstruction  the 
electricity  meets  in  the  conducting  metal  and  the  liquid  of  the  cells. 
Find  the  amount  of  obstruction  in  a  single  cell;  this,  multiplied  by  the 
number  of  cells,  affords  the  total  sum  of  a  battery.  Then  divide  the 
whole  sum  of  power  by  the  total  amount  of  resistance  in  the  conduct- 
ing wire  and  liquid  of  the  battery  cells,  and  the  quotient  will  be  the 
effective  power  of  the  battery. 

The  electromotive  force  of  an  electric  current  may  be  ascertained 
by  the  following  important  law  of  Ohm,  which  was  discovered  in  the 
year  1827,  being  applicable  under  all  circumstances,  referring  to  all 
the  causes  which  tend  to  impede  the  action  of  the  battery.  "It  is, 
that  the  intensity  of  an  electric  current,  where  a  battery  is  in  action, 
is  directly  as  the  whole  electromotive  force  in  operation,  and  inversely 
as  the  sum  of  all  the  impediments  to  conduction.  It  may,  therefore, 
be  expressed  by  a  fraction  whose  numerator  is  the  electromotive  force, 
and  its  denominator  the  sum  of  the  resistance  of  all  its  parts.  Let  I 
be  the  intensity  of  the  current ;  E  the  effective  electromotive  force  in 
the  battery ;  R  its  constant  retarding  influence,  and  r  the  variable  re- 
tarding influence  in  the  connecting  wires;  then 


30  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

If,  according  to  Ohm's  formula,  we  put  the  intensity  of  the  current 
in  a  simple  voltaic  arrangement  whose  excited  surface  is  I, 

E 

;~KT7 

Then  the  intensity  of  a  current  from  a  battery  of  n  pairs  of  plates  or 
cups  will  be, 

2  j**J*JL, 

fit          -L      —  T-J 

nR,  +  r 

and  in  a  single  voltaic  arrangement  whose  surface  is  n  times  greater 
than  I,  the  resistance  to  conduction  being  diminished  inversely  as  the 
area  of  its  transverse  section,  the  intensity  becomes 

3  T"_  A-         "E      " 
~R  +  r~  K  +nr 

n 

12 

The  resistance  to  an  electric  current  in  a  conducting  wire  is  in  pro- 
portion to  the  length  of  the  wire,  and  inversely  as  its  sectional  area. 
That  is,  the  longer  the  wire  the  greater  the  resistance,  and  the  larger 
the  wire  the  less  the  resistance.  If  the  wire  be  many  miles  long,  the 
resistance  to  the  electrical  current  varies  arithmetically  as  the  wire 
increases  in  length  geometrically.  Arithmetical  progression  is  con- 
stant addition,  while  geometrical  progression  is  constant  multiplication, 
and  the  ratio  would  stand  thus  : — 

Resistance,     1  :  3  :  5  :  7  :  9  :  11  :  13  :  15,  &c. 

Length,          1  :  2  :  4  :  8  :  16  :  32  :  64  :  128,  &c. 

The  resistance  of  the  liquid  in  the  cells  is  in  direct  proportion  to 
the  amount  and  thickness  of  that  fluid,  and  in  the  inverse  proportion 
to  its  conductibility.  Or  the  greater  the  thickness  of  the  fluid,  the 
more  resistance  it  will  oppose  to  the  galvanic  current ;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  greater  the  conducting  power  of  the  fluid,  the  less 
obstruction  is  presented. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  data  for  such  an  estimate  are  numerous, 
and  require  much  scrutinizing  experiment  to  afford  a  system  for  prac- 
tical deduction. 

Professors  Wheatstone,  of  London,  Steinheil,  of  Munich,  and  Jacobi, 
of  St.  Petersburg,  appear  to  have  been  foremost  among  those  who 
have  endeavored  to  ascertain  the  velocity  of  the  electrical  current. 
Its  rapidity,  previous  to  their  labors,  was  supposed  incalculable;  simple 
observation  had  impressed  experimenters  with  the  opinion  that  it  was 
instantaneous;  but,  like  the  other  imponderable  agents,  it  has  not  only 
been  shown  to  be  progressive,  but  also,  under  peculiar  circumstances, 
of  much  less  celerity  than  light.  *  It  is  greatly  modified  by  the  inci- 
dents connected  with  different  trials.  Not  only  the  kind  of  electricity 
employed,  but  the  nature  and  size  of  the  conductor,  temperature,  and 
electrical  tension  of  the  atmosphere,  dissimilar  means  and  instruments 
used  by  different  operators  for  arriving  at  results,  may  perhaps  account 
for  the  very  discordant  opinions  of  practical  physicists  on  this  topic. 
Prof.  Wheatstone,  making  a  current  of  frictional  electricity  pass  along 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  31 

copper  wire,  and  noting  the  intervals  of  reflected  sparks  from  a  revolv- 
ing mirror,  estimated  the  speed  at  288,000  miles  in  a  second.  Our 
ingenious  and  distinguished  townsman,  Mr.  Saxton,  devised  the  instru- 
ment with  which  Prof.  W.  determined  these  facts.  Some  truly  prac- 
tical and  indefatigable  trials  have  been  recently  made  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Prof.  S.  C.  Walker,  of  the  United  States  Coast  Survey,  which, 
like  the  rest,  present  a  heterogeneous  mass  of  probable  velocity ; 
taking  the  whole  of  them,  he  deduces  the  "resultant  as  15,890  miles 
per  second,  as  the  most  probable  value."  (Silliman^s  Journal,  March, 
1851.)  He  used  galvanic  electricity,  and  conductors  of  wire  known 
in  trade  as  No.  9. 

Professor  Mitchell,  of  the  Cincinnati  Observatory,  experimented 
with  a  sidereal  clock  on  the  common  telegraphic  line,  and  inferred 
the  velocity  at  30,000  miles  per  second.  And  again,  Messrs.  Fizeau 
and  Gounelle,  in  a  paper  published  in  the  Comptes  Rendus  of  April 
last,  make  their  result  as  111,886  miles  per  second  in  copper  wire,  and 
62,159  in  iron. — Journ.  Frank.  Ins.  vol.  xx.  p.  62. 

Here  are  very  many  discrepancies,  that  may  be  perhaps  ascribed  to 
the  variable  contingencies  attending  the  experiments.  Matteucci, 
Baumgartner,  Kirchoff,  Bidolphi,  and  Smauren,  are  and  have  been 
prominent  investigators  of  this  subject. 

Many  trials  were  made  at  an  early  period,  on  the  transmission  of 
galvanism  through  water  and  soil.  In  1803,  experiments  were  made 
by  F.  H.  Basse,  on  the  Weser,  a  distance  of  4,000  feet  being  included 
in  the  circuit  (Gilbert's  Annalen,  xiv.  p.  26),  by  Erman,  in  the  Havel, 
near  Potsdam  (Gilbert,  xiv.  p.  385),  and  by  Aldini,  at  Calais,  across 
about  200  feet  of  sea- water. 

Prof.  Steinheil,  in  1837,  first  employed  the  earth  as  a  return  portion 
of  the  circuit  between  telegraphic  stations,  and  nearly  all  the  telegraph 
lines  are  now  arranged  on  this  principle.  Much  speculation  has  arisen 
as  to  the  mode  in  which  the  electrical  impulse  is  conveyed  through 
the  earth  between  the  termini;  though  it  is  as  much  under  our  control 
as  when  transmitted  through  wire  conductors,  it  is  difficult  to  conceive 
the  passage  of  the  fluid  in  these  cases  as  similar.  In  all  our  experi- 
ments we  find  the  earth  a  vast  receptacle  and  source  of  electricity,  and 
from  this  fact  modern  physicists  suppose  no  impulse  communicated, 
but  that  electricity  given  to  the  earth  at  one  end  of  the  line  increases 
the  whole  amount  of  it,  and  the  equilibrium  is  restored  by  the  escape 
of  the  redundant  fluid  into  the  other  extremity  of  the  wire.  Baum- 
gartner inferred  from  experiment,  that  the  geological  structure  of  the 
intervening  earth  had  some  effect  upon  the  time  required  for  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  electrical  impulse  at  the  termini ;  this,  if  correct,  is 
strong  evidence  in  favor  of  conduction  of  electricity  by  the  earth. 

Application  of  Galvanism  to  Telegraphing. — "  Mr.  S.  T.  Sornmering, 
of  Munich,  first  applied  galvanism  to  telegraphing;  in  1809,  he  con- 
structed an  apparatus,  which,  by  decomposing  water,  enabled  him  to 
give  signals.  At  the  station  where  the  news  was  to  arrive,  were 
arranged  thirty -five  small  glass  test-tubes,  filled  with  water,  and  re- 
versed in  a  reservoir  also  containing  that  fluid.  Into  each  one  of  these 
test-tubes,  projected  through  the  bottom  of  the  reservoir  the  gilt  end 


32 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


of  one  of  thirty-five  wires,  that  came  from  the  transmitting  station. 
Each  wire  at  the  termini  of  the  line  was  connected  to  its  own  distinct 
brass  plate  or  cylinder.  These  plates  were  arranged  in  a  row  and 
perforated  at  one  extremity  :  by  introducing  two  conical  metallic  pins 
connected  with  the  poles  of  a  voltaic  battery  into  these  perforations,  a 

Fig.  3. 


circuit  was  established.  Each  glass  tube  was  marked  with  one  of  the 
25  letters  of  the  German  alphabet,  and  10  numerals,  and  the  plate 
connected  to  it  by  wire  at  the  other  station,  was  stamped  with  the 


THE  ELECTRO- MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  33 

same.  The  circuit  being  established,  the  water  in  two  of  the  tubes 
was  decomposed,  the  gaseous  constituents  of  which  rising  gave  two 
signs,  whose  succession  was  determined  by  considering  the  letter  over 
the  evolved  hydrogen  at  first.  Decomposition  of  water  gives  twice 
the  volume  of  hydrogen  that  it  does  of  oxygen,  and  thus  no  mistake 
could  well  be  made  in  distinguishing  them.  The  conducting  wires, 
well  insulated,  after  passing  some  distance  from  the  apparatus,  were 
wound  into  a  rope  to  go  on  to  their  destination.  Fig.  3  represents 
Sommering's  telegraph ;  A  A  water-receiver.  The  points  protruding 
into  it  are  shown,  the  glass  tubes  are  removed.  BB,  the  apparatus  to 
close  the  circuit.  (7,  the  voltaic  battery.  Single  wires  coining  from 
the  wire  rope  D,  have  connection  with  the  plates  or  cylinders.  Into 
the  perforations  of  these  plates,  the  metal  pencils  connected  with  the 
closing  wires  Xy  fit  exactly ;  they  are  kept  clean  and  free  from  oxida- 
tion in  order  that  they  may  do  so. 

If  the  rod  or  pencil  of  the  positive  pole  is  put  into  the  plate  L,  and 
that  of  the  negative  one  into  the  plate  S,  the  circuit  is  closed.  Com- 
ing from  JT,  the  current  goes  into  the  wire  in  connection  with  L,  then 
to  I,  at  the  other  station,  through  the  receiver  to  /SJ  thence  into  the 
conducting  wire  to  S  at  the  first  station,  through  y,  to  the  negative 
pole  of  the  battery.  Oxygen  rises  from  the  positive  pole  in  the  glass 
ij  and  hydrogen  from  the  negative  one  in  the  glass  s,  and  thus  a  sig- 
nal is  given  which  reads  5  I. 

The  mode  of  completing  the  connection  is  exhibited  in  the  small 
Fig.  4,  by  a  lateral  view  of  the  instrument :  B, 
standard  to  support  the  frame  of  cylinders ;  (7,  a 
single  cylinder ;  a,  orifice  in  it  where  the  rod  P  is 
introduced ;  JT,  wire  connecting  with  the  positive 
pole  of  the  battery ;  D,  wire  leading  to  the  oppo- 
site station. 

Especial  signals  are  used  to  denominate  the 
same  letter  used  twice  in  succession,  or  to  desig- 
nate the  end  of  a  word.  Sommering  connected 
with  his  instrument  a  curiously  constructed  alarm, 
to  call  the  attention  of  the  operator.  It  consisted 
of  a  two-armed  lever,  the  longer  arm  having  the 
shape  of  a  spoon,  while  the  shorter  supported  a  rolling  brass  ball. 
The  arrangement  was  easily  moved,  and  it  was  necessary  to  poise  it 
after  each  telegraphic  operation.  The  hollow  end  of  the  long  arm  stood 
over  the  end  of  one  of  the  wire  points,  and  at  the  commencement  of  an 
operation  received  the  hydrogen  that  was  evolved  at  this  point.  After 
one  half  a  minute,  sufficient  gas  was  evolved  to  carry  upward  in  its  ascent 
the  long  arm  of  the  lever,  depress  the  shorter  one,  and  by  this  depres- 
sion permit  the  ball  to  fall  through  a  tube  on  a  lever  connected  to  an 
alarm-stop,  set  it  loose,  and  thus  put  the  alarm  in  active  opera- 
tion. Though  very  ingenious,  the  expense  of  so  many  wires,  and 
their  insulation,  precluded  the  use  of  this  instrument  on  a  large  scale ; 
likewise,  the  necessity  of  constant  attention  on  the  part  of  the  attend- 
ant to  watch  the  evolution  of  gas  in  two  of  the  thirty-five  tubes,  was 
a  strong  objection  to  it. 
3 


34  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

On  the  publication  of  this  apparatus  in  his  Journal,  Schweigger 
proposed  the  use  of  two  wires,  which  he  considered  sufficient,  if  two 
voltaic  batteries,  one  strong  and  another  weak,  were  used,  and  the 
time  being  taken  into  consideration  partly  during  the  evolution  of  the 
gas,  and  partly  that  which  elapsed  between  the  two  evolutions  follow- 
ing each  other. — Schellerfs  Elec.  Mag.  p.  53. 

We  find  the  following  in  Thomsons  Annals  for  1816,  from  the  pen 
of  Dr.  J.  E.  Coxe,  then  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  This  hoary-headed  veteran  in  the  cause  of  knowledge 
is  still  living  in  our  midst.  Though  long  since  withdrawn  from  the 
active  duties  of  teacher  in  the  oldest  medical  school  of  this  country, 
the  mementos  of  his  labors  remain  emblazoned  among  the  records  of 
science.  Speaking  of  galvanism,  he  says :  "  I  have  contemplated  this 
important  agent,  as  a  probable  means  of  establishing  telegraphic  com- 
munications with  as  much  rapidity,  and  perhaps  less  expense,  than 
any  hitherto  employed.  I  do  not  know  how  far  experiment  has  de- 
termined galvanic  action  to  be  communicated  by  means  of  wires  ;  but 
there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  it  confined  as  to  limits,  certainly  not  as 
to  time.  Now,  by  means  of  apparatus  fixed  at  certain  distances,  as 
telegraphic  stations,  by  tubes  for  the  decomposition  of  water,  metallic 
salts,  &c.T  regularly  arranged,  such  a  key  might  be  adopted  as  would 
be  requisite  to  communicate  words,  sentences,  or  figures,  from  one  sta- 
tion to  another,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  line.  As  it  takes  up 
little  room,  and  may  be  fixed  in  private,  it  might  in  many  cases  of 
besieged  towns,  &c.,  convey  useful  intelligence  with  scarcely  a  chance 
of  detection  by  the  enemy.  However  fanciful  in  speculation,  I  have 
no  doubt  that,  sooner  or  later,  it  will  be  rendered  useful  in  practice. 
I  have  thus,  my  dear  sir,  ventured  to  encroach  on  your  time  with 
some  crude  ideas  that  may  serve  perhaps  to  elicit  some  useful  experi- 
ments in  the  hands  of  others.  When  we  consider  what  wonderful 
results  have  arisen  from  the  first  trifling  experiments  of  the  junction 
of  a  small  piece  of  silver  and  zinc  in  so  short  a  period,  what  may  not 
be  expected  from  the  farther  extension  of  galvanic  electricity !  I 
have  no  doubt  of  its  being  the  chief  agent  in  the  hands  of  nature  in 
the  mighty  changes  that  occur  around  us." 

Next  in  order  of  those  depending  on  the  galvanic  principle  solely, 
is  the  physiological  telegraph  of  Vorzleman  De  Haer.  He  proposed 
the  instrument  on  a  small  scale  in  1839,  basing  it  on  the  property  of 
galvanism  to  produce  physiological  effects  on  the  nerves  and  muscles, 
and  making  sensation  the  means  of  receiving  the  signals.  He  em- 
ployed ten  wires  after  Messrs.  Steinheil  and  Morse  had  succeeded  with 
only  one,  and  experience  has  also  taught  us  that  many  repeated  shocks 
render  the  operator  insensible;  the  workmen  in  the  gutta  percha 
manufactory  of  Fonropert  and  Pruckner,  at  Berlin,  engaged  in  proving 
insulated  tubes,  lose  sensibility  in  their  hands  and  forearms  after  a 
day's  work.  One  constructed  by  a  skilful  organ-builder,  was  exhi- 
bited in  Januar}^  1839,  at  a  sitting  of  the  Physical  Society  of  De  venter. 
The  keys  have  a  similar  arrangement  to  those  of  the  piano-forte,  and  con- 
nection is  established  by  depressing  them  into  a  cup  of  mercury ;  no  ex- 
tensive use  has  been  made  of  this  instrument. — Schetleus  Elec.  May.  p.  06. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  35 

Mr.  R.  Smith,  Lecturer  on  Chemistry,  Blackford,  Scotland,  invented 
an  Electro-Chemical  Telegraph;  a  paper  containing  an  account  of 
which  was  read  before  the  Eoyal  Scottish  Society  of  Arts,  on  the  27th 
of  March,  1843,  reported  on  by  a  committee,  and  approved  the  12th 
June  following.  Since  that  time,  many  trials  have  been  made,  and 
various  improvements  in  its  construction  have  also  been  introduced 
by  the  inventor.  The  following  is  a  description  of  it  in  its  present 
improved  form : — 

In  the  annexed  wood-cut,  A  represents  the  indicating  portion  of  the 
telegraphic  apparatus ;  a  is  a  leaden  cylinder  fixed  upon  a  spindle, 
which  is  supported  so  as  to  revolve  freely,  by  two  standards  attached 
to  the  bottom  plate  of  the  apparatus ;  b  b  is  a  piece  of  calico  in  the 
form  of  a  ribbon  coiled  upon  the  roller  c,  placed  in  the  trough  o?,  its 
contrary  extremity  being  attached  to  the  second  roller  e,  revolving 
loosely  in  standards  attached  to  the  opposite  end  of  the  bottom  plate ; 
B  is  the  communicator,  or  that  portion  of  the  apparatus  through  which 
any  given  signal  is  communicated  to  the  indicator  A  /  f  is  a  block  of 
wood  having  a  brass  plate  g  attached  to  it ;  h  is  a  slip  of  wood  hinged 
to  the  block,  and  slightly  raised  above  the  surface  of  the  brass  plate  g 
by  means  of  a  spring  placed  beneath  it.  The  brass  plate  g  is  connected 
by  the  wire  k  with  the  positive  end  of  the  voltaic  battery  C,  the  nega- 
tive end  of  which  is  connected  with  the  wire  /,  which  passes  along  to 
the  indicator  A,  where  it  is  attached  to  the  leaden  cylinder  a.  The 
other  wire,  m,  is  attached  to  the  finger-board  /*,  through  which  it  passes, 
projecting  slightly  on  the  lower  surface,  its  contrary  end  being  attached 
to  the  impress  wire  n,  which  is  supported  loosely  by  a  cross-beam  on 
the  top  of  the  centre-standards  of  the  indicator,  its  lower  end  resting 
upon  the  calico  ribbon  on  the  leaden  cylinder  beneath. 

To  put  this  apparatus  in  action,  the  cells  of  the  battery  C  are  filled 
with  water,  and  the  trough  d  with  a  solution  of  ferro-cyanate  of  potass, 
to  which  have  been  added  a  few  drops  of  nitric  acid.  The  roller  e,  to 
which  the  indicator  cloth  is  attached,  is  next  put  in  motion  by  clock- 
work, and  thus  the  cloth,  wet  with  the  solution  contained  in  trough  c?, 


is  caused  to  pass  uniformly  over  the  leaden  cylinder  a  below  the  point 
of  the  impress  wire. 

The  apparatus  is  now  ready  for  signaling,  which  is  done  by  pressing 


36  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

down  the  finger-board  h,  so  as  to  bring  the  end  of  the  wire  n  in  con- 
tact with  the  brass  plate/  thus  completing  the  electric  circuit.  The 
impress  wire  n  now  becomes  the  positive  electrode,  and  the  cylinder  a 
the  negative  one,  and  a  blue  mark  is  printed  upon  the  cloth,  by  the 
electric  fluid  decomposing  the  ferro-cyanate  of  potass,  thus  forming 
cyanate  of  iron.  If  the  circuit  is  formed  and  broken  rapidly,  a  suc- 
cession of  dots  will  be  printed  upon  the  cloth ;  if  formed  and  broken 
at  long  intervals,  the  result  will  be  a  series  of  marks.  In  this  manner 
long  and  short  spaces  and  corresponding  lines  will  be  formed  according 
to  the  duration  of  the  opening  or  closing  of  the  circuit,  and  the  speed 
with  which  the  cloth  is  caused  to  pass  beneath  the  metallic  pen.  An  ar- 
rangement of  these  various  marks  thus  forms  the  telegraphic  alphabet, 
from  which  sentences  may  be  composed,  embracing  any  information 
which  it  may  be  necessary  to  transmit.  For  instance,  a  single  dot  may 
be  taken  as  the  index  for  J.,  two  for  B,  three  for  (7,  and  a  dot  and  line 
for  D,  &c. 

The  species  of  battery  which  is  the  best  adapted  for  producing  the 
electro -chemical  indications,  consists  of  forty  repetitions  of  charcoal 
and  zinc  plates ;  the  charcoal  plates  being  composed  of  three  parts 
pulverized  charcoal,  two  of  pulverized  coke,  and  one  of  wheaten  flour, 
mixed  together  with  water ;  when  formed,  the  plates  are  allowed  to 
dry,  and  are  then  placed  in  an  earthen  crucible,  in  the  lid  of  which  is 
an  aperture  for  the  escape  of  the  gases ;  in  this  they  are  heated  to  red- 
ness. This  battery  will  keep  up  a  uniform  and  energetic  current  for 
a  considerable  time,  the  cells  being  merely  filled  with  water ;  the  only 
attention  which  it  requires  subsequently,  being  to  wash  off  any  oxide 
which  may  be  deposited  upon  the  plates,  and  supply  fresh  water.  The 
battery  employed  for  making  the  electro-magnetic  telegraph  is  a  calo- 
rimotor  or  single  circle;  the  electricity  generated  by  this  battery  has  a 
tendency  to  weaken  in  its  progress,  so  that  the  defect  must  necessarily 
be  provided  for  by  placing  batteries  at  different  distances,  according 
to  the  desired  amount  of  power ;  this  objection  is  completely  removed 
in  the  voltaic  apparatus.  Experiment  has  proved  that  the  electric 
energy  from  the  intensity  battery,  in  producing  the  electro -chemical 
effects,  increases  instead  of  diminishing  in  regard  to  distance.  Faraday 
ascertained  that  the  quantity  of  electricity  required  to  decompose  a 
single  drop  of  water,  is  equal  to  that  of  a  powerful  flash  of  lightning, 
while  from  the  largest  single  circuit  ever  constructed,  not  the  slightest 
chemical  effect  can  be  exhibited.  On  the  other  hand,  a  small  single 
circle  composed  only  of  a  few  square  inches  of  copper  and  zinc,  will 
temporarily  magnetize  a  large  bar  of  iron,  while  a  powerful  voltaic 
trough  will  -not  magnetize  a  lady's  sewing-needle.  Throughout  the 
whole  of  the  practical  details  of  the  electro-magnetic  apparatus,  a  far 
greater  amount  of  carefulness  of  workmanship  is  required  than  in 
those  of  the  voltaic  one.  Thus,  the  whole  of  the  joinings  of  the  con- 
ducting wires  require  to  be  in  perfect  metallic  contact,  and  carefully 
isolated,  whilst  the  electro -chemical  communications  may  be  trans- 
mitted through  the  medium  of  a  wire  fence.  The  inventor  lately 
exhibited  an  experiment  which  proves  the  practicability  of  this  appli- 
cation. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  37 

In  this  case,  the  communicator  and  indicator  were  attached  to  the 
contrary  extremities  of  an  iron  wire  fence  of  a  length  of  1,868  yards, 
when  a  number  of  signals  were  dispatched  with  the  greatest  facility. 
This  economical  adaptation  will  doubtless  render  it  worthy  of  the  at- 
tention of  railway  proprietors,  as  a  metallic  fence  may  in  this  manner 
be  rendered  doubly  useful. — Prac.  Mech.  and  Eng.  Mag.  Glasgow,  vol. 
i.  2d  series,  pp.  36,  239. 

Succeeding  this  in  our  chronological  series,  comes  the  instrument  of 
Alexander  Bain,  a  native  of  the  northern  part  of  Scotland.  Mr.  Bain's 
instrument,  dated  December  12,  1846,  in  patent  specifications,  depends 
for  its  efficiency  on  electro-chemical  action,  and  consists  of  a  transmit- 
ting apparatus  at  one  end  of  the  line,  with  a  recipient  one  at  the  other 
terminus.  Figure  5  is  an  elevation,  and  Fig.  6  is  a  plan  of  so  much 
of  a  transmitting  apparatus  as  is  necessary  to  show  its  mode  of  action. 
A  A  is  a  thin  roller  of  wood  upon  which  is  wound  a  long  strip  of  paper, 
previously  perforated  with  holes  a  a  a,  in  the  manner  represented  in 
Fig.  7.  Each  group  of  holes,  as  divided  by  cross  lines,  represent  let- 
ters, numerals,  words,  or  sentences,  as  may  have  before  been  fixed 
upon.  From  this  roller  A,  the  end  of  this  slip  of  paper  is  passed  be- 
tween another  roller  B,  and  two  metallic  springs  Cl  C2.  The  roller 
B  is  composed  of  metal  pieces  a1  a2,  mounted  upon  wood  inside,  so 
that  their  contiguous  edges  shall  be  some  distance  apart ;  and  the 
roller  is  moved  by  clock-work,  whose  velocity  is  regulated  by  a  ball 
governor.  The  receiving  apparatus  at  the  other  end  of  the  line  is  the 
same  as  the  transmitting  one,  except,  that  instead  of  the  strip  of  per- 
forated paper,  there  is  wound  on  the  roller  A  A,  a  strip  of  colored 
paper.  This  is  first  soaked  in  diluted  sulphuric  acid,  and  afterwards 
in  a  solution  of  prussiate  of  potassa  ;  while  wet  it  is  wound  on  the  first 
roller  J.,  where  it  forms  part  of  the  galvanic  circuit,  and  must  be  kept 
damp  while  the  message  is  being  sent.  When  the  machines  at  both 
ends  of  the  line  are  thus  arranged,  and  connected  together  by  wire, 
with  the  metallic  springs  C1C2,  attached  to  a  galvanic  battery,  the  ope- 
rator at  the  transmitting  end  sets  it  in  motion,  like  the  lock  which 
governs  the  striking  of  a  clock ;  this  lifts  a  detent  in  the  receiving  ap- 
paratus at  the  other  end  of  the  line,  and  puts  that  in  operation.  Thus, 
the  two  machines  unroll  their  strips  of  paper  at  the  same  time,  and  as 
long  as  the  contact  between  the  springs  Cl  (72,  and  the  second  roller 
B,  of  the  transmitting  machine,  is  prevented  by  the  paper  which  has 
no  holes  in  it  passing  between  them,  the  circuit  is  broken.  As  soon 
as  the  spring  Gl  comes  over  one  of  the  holes  in  the  paper,  the  circuit 
is  re-established,  and  the  electric  current  flowing  through  these  holes, 
passes  along  the  connecting  wire  to  the  wet  roll  of  paper  at  the  re- 
ceiving end  of  the  line.  The  electricity  passing  through  the  wet 
paper  destroys  its  color  by  chemical  action  in  those  parts  which  it 
enters,  and  thereby  makes  as  many  legible  spots  on  the  wet  roll  of 
paper  as  there  are  holes  in  the  dry  roll  at  the  other  end  of  the  wire. 
Thus,  by  alternately  renewing  and  breaking  contact  by  means  of  the 
holes  in  the  transmitting  roll,  as  many  corresponding  letters,  numerals, 
&c.  are  made  on  the  receiving  roll. 

An  exemplification  of  the  alphabetical  characters  employed  by  Mr. 


38  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

Bain  is  given  in  Fig.  7,  which  represents  at  once  the  perforations 
which  would  be  made  in  the  transmitting  paper,  and  the  correspond- 


ing marks  which  would  be  made  in  the  colored  or  recipient  paper  to 
express  the  word  LONDON.  When  it  is  desired  that  the  attendant  at 
the  receiving  station  should  not  know  the  contents  of  the  message 
sent,  the  receiving  roll  is  wet  in  diluted  acid,  passed  through  the  ma- 
chine, and  afterwards  immersed  in  the  solution  of  prussiate  of  potassa, 
which  makes  the  words  plain.  The  holes  are  made  in  the  paper  by 
means  of  a  separate  machine  worked  by  hand ;  the  paper  passes  be- 
tween two  rollers,  one  of  which  is  a  small  punch,  which  cuts  the  holes 
in  the  paper,  and  works  by  the  slightest  touch.  After  the  holes  are 
made  in  the  paper,  it  then  has  to  be  wound  on  the  transmitting  roller. 
The  rapidity  of  this  mode  of  communication  depends  on  the  number 
of  holes  which  a  clever  hand  can  punch  in  a  given  time,  which  is 
about  100  per  minute ;  after  the  holes  are  made,  the  machine  will 
transmit  from  500  to  1000  impressions  in  a  minute.  Mr.  Bain  has 
lately  remodelled  this  machine,  by  changing  the  rollers  of  the  receiving 
apparatus  into  a  revolving  disk,  in  the  periphery  of  which,  there  are 
a  number  of  metallic  rods  or  wires  of  equal  length,  which  may  be  made 
to  slide  towards  one  side  of  the  disk,  or  the  other,  at  pleasure. 

Fig.  8  is  a  plan  of  this  modification.  A  is  the  edge  of  the  disk ; 
b  I  the  wires ;  and  Cl  C2  springs,  similar  to  those  marked  with  the 
same  letters  in  other  figures.  It  will  be  obvious  that,  when  the  disk 
A  is  made  to  rotate,  the  springs  0  *  C2  will  successively  be  brought  in 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  39 

contact  with  the  wires  b  b,  on  one  side  or  on  the  other ;  and  that  as 
they  are  made  the  means  of  establishing  the  metallic  connection  be- 
tween the  two  ends  of  the  line  of  communication,  the  effects  produced 
upon  the  chemical  substance  will  be  the  same  as  before  described.  In 
this  case,  the  wires  b  b  serve  the  purpose  of  the  holes  in  the  strip  of 
paper,  Fig.  7. — London  Mechanics'  Magazine,  vol.  xlvi.  p.  591. 

"  In  this  form  of  telegraph,"  he  remarks,  "  I  have  rejected  magnet- 
ism altogether,  and  caused  the  pulsations  of  the  electric  current  to  be 
transmitted  through  groups  of  perforations,  forming  signs,  which  are 
recorded  at  the  receiving  station  by  pulsations  of  the  electric  current 
acting  on  chemically  prepared  paper,  in  the  manner  described  and 
shown ;  so  that  the  circuit  is  completed,  and  interrupted,  by  the  opera- 
tion of  the  composed  communication  itself,  without  the  electric  cur- 
rent having  to  produce  any  mechanical  motion,  and  without  any 
manipulation  of  the  operator,  in  forming  the  intermittent  pulsations 
of  the  electric  current ;  thereby  effecting  the  transmission  of  a  com- 
munication to  one  or  a  plurality  of  distant  receiving  stations,  with  far 
greater  rapidity  than  by  any  other  mode." 

This  may  be  true  in  theory,  but  it  will  require  more  time  than  the 
simple  passage  of  the  current  in  practice.  For  in  every  case  decom- 
position of  the  fluid  will  take  place,  and  time  is  required  for  the 
operator  to  see  the  mark.  If  the  paper  should  become  dry,  as  it  is 
known  to  do,  tke  mark  then  becomes  very  indistinct  from  the  want  of 
proper  conducting  material ;  and  as  the  wire  is  not  of  platinum,  by 
becoming  oxidized  it  prevents  that  proper  metallic  contact,  so  that  it 
will  require  an  intense  and  constant  current,  which  cannot  be  pro- 
duced and  kept  up  in  the  form  of  battery  described  by  Mr.  Bain, 
namely,  zinc  and  copper  battery.  There  is  also  the  inconvenience 
arising  from  the  fumes  from  the  chemicals  employed  in  preparing  the 
paper. 

S.  F.  B.  Morse's  Electro- Chemical  Telegraph,  patented  in  May,  1849. — 
"The  nature  of  my  invention  consists :  First.  In  the  application  of  the 
decomposing  effects  of  electricity  produced  from  any  known  generator 
of  electricity,  to  the  marking  of  the  signs  for  numerals,  or  letters,  or 
words,  or  sentences,  invented  and  arranged  by  me,  and  secured  by 
patent,  bearing  date  June  20,  184.0;  reissued  January  15,  1846,  and 
again  reissued,  June  13,  1848,  or  their  equivalents,  through  a  single 
circuit  of  electrical  conductors. 

"  Second.  In  the  mode  of  applying  this  decomposition,  and  the  ma- 
chinery for  that  purpose. 

"Third.  In  the  application  of  the  bleaching  qualities  of  electricity 
to  the  printing  of  any  desired  characters. 

"In  applying  the  decomposing  effects  of  electricity  upon  any  known 
salts  that  leave  a  mark,  as  the  result  of  the  said  decomposition,  I  use — 

"  Class  A.  A  class  of  salts  that  produce  a  colored  mark  upon  cl6th, paper, 
thread,  or  other  material,  under  the  action  of  electricity. 

"  First.  Iodide  of  tin  in  solution. 

"  Second.  Extract  of  nutgalls,  and  sulphate  of  iron  in  solution, 
making  an  ink  which  colors  white  cambric  cloth  a  uniform  gray. 

"  Third.  Acetate  of  lead,  and  nitrate  of  potash  in  solution. 


40  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

"  Fourth.  Iodide  of  potassium  in  solution. 

'*  Into  either  of  these  I  dip  a  strip  of  cloth  or  thread,  which  is  kept 
properly  moistened.  All  these  give  a  black  mark  upon  the  cloth, 
thread,  or  other  material  under  the  action  of  electricity. 

"  Class  B.  A  class  of  salts  which  color  the  cloth,  paper,  thread,  or 
other  material,  and  are  bleached  by  the  action  of  electricity. 

"  First.  Iodide  of  tin  in  solution. 

"  Second.  Iodine  dissolved  in  alcohol. 

"  Into  either  of  these  I  dip  a  strip  of  cloth,  paper,  thread,  or  other 
material ;  and  if  in  solution  second,  I  also  dip  them  into  a  solution  of 
sulphate  of  soda,  the  cloth  or  other  material,  in  these  cases,  becomes 
of  a  purple  color  more  or  less  dark.  The  electricity  in  these  cases, 
when  a  metallic  point  or  type  is  pressed  upon,  or  comes  in  contact 
with,  the  moist  cloth  or  other  material,  bleaches  it,  and  leaves  the  point 
or  the  type  impressed  in  white  characters  upon  the  material. 

"  Class  C.  A  class  of  salts  that  produce  a  mark  upon  metal,  through 
the  intervening  cloth  or  other  material,  and  not  upon  the  material, 
under  the  action  of  electricity. 

"  First.  Sulphate  of  copper  in  solution. 

"  Second.  Chloride  of  zinc  diluted  with  water. 

"  Third.  Sulphate  of  iron  in  solution. 

"  Into  either  of  these  solutions  I  dip  the  cloth,  thread,  or  other  ma- 
terial, and  if  into  the  third,  I  afterwards  dip  it  into  muriate  of  lime  in 
solution.  The  electricity  in  these  cases  causes  a  dark  mark  upon  a 
bright  metal  plate  beneath  the  moistened  material,  but  not  on  the 
material  itself. 

"  The  mode  of  applying  this  decomposition  by  electricity,  is  by  the 
use  of  so  much  of  my  machinery  previously  described  in  the  schedule 
referred  to  in  the  Letters  Patent,  granted  to  me,  and  bearing  date  June 
13,  1848,  being  the  reissue  of  the  original  patent  of  April  12,  1846, 
as  is  employed  in  regulating  the  motion  of  the  paper,  substituting, 
however,  for  the  common  paper  therein  used,  the  cloth,  thread,  metal, 
or  other  material,  chemically  prepared. 

"  Operation. — I  consider  the  discoloring  process  better  than  the 
bleaching  process,  and  for  the  discoloring  process  I  consider  the  iodide 
of  potassium  in  solution,  as  the  best  of  the  substances  I  have  mentioned 
for  the  preparation  of  the  cloth,  paper,  or  other  material.  I  wish  it  to 
be  understood  that  I  do  not  confine  myself  to  the  use  of  the  sub- 
stances I  have  mentioned,  but  mean  to  comprehend  the  use  of  any 
known  substance  already  proved  to  be  easily  decomposed  by  the  electric 
current. 

"  Claims.  What  I  claim  as  my  own  invention  and  improvement, 
and  desire  to  secure  by  letters  patent,  is :  1st,  the  use  of  the  single  cir- 
cuit of  conductors  for  the  marking  of  my  telegraphic  signs  already 
patented,  for  numerals,  letters,  words,  or  sentences,  by  means  of  the 
decomposing,  coloring,  or  bleaching  effects  of  electricity,  acting  upon 
any  known  salts  that  leave  a  mark  as  the  result  of  the  said  decomposi- 
tion, upon  paper,  cloth,  metals,  or  other  convenient  and  known  mark- 
able  material. 

"  2d,  I  also  claim  the  combination  of  machinery  as  herein  substan- 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  41 

tially  described,  by  which  any  two  metallic  points  or  other  known 
conducting  substances,  broken  parts  of  an  electric  or  galvanic  circuit, 
having  the  chemically  prepared  material  in  contact  with  and  between 
them,  may  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  marking  my  telegraphic  cha- 
racters already  patented  in  Letters  Patent,  dated  20th  of  June,  1840 ; 
in  the  first  issue,  25th  January,  1846 ;  and  second  reissue,  13th  June, 
1848." 

The  marking  instrument  of  Morse  is  a  platina  disk,  and  is  described 
fully  in  the  patent.  As  this  apparatus  has  not  been  used  practically, 
I  have  noticed  it  here  more  to  keep  up  the  chain  of  Galvanic  Tele- 
graphs, and  I  am  surprised  that  Mr.  Morse  should  have  taken  out  a 
patent  for  a  telegraph  so  far  inferior  to  the  one  he  has  in  operation 
since  1840,  as  there  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  the  Chemical  Telegraph, 
according  to  the  opinion  of  the  best  operators,  is  far  inferior  to  the 
Electro-Magnetic  in  regard  to  trouble,  expense,  and  uncertainty  in 
operation. 

"  The  last  patent  of  Mr.  A.  Bain  is  one  taken  out  in  connection  with 
Eobert  Smith,  Lecturer  on  Chemistry,  Perthshire,  Scotland,  October, 
1849. 

"  These  improvements  consist — 

"  Firstly.  In  the  peculiar  mode  of  arranging  the  several  parts  herein 
described  of  our  marking  instruments  of  Electro-Chemical  Telegraphs. 

"  Secondly.  In  a  mode  of  constructing  a  style  or  point-holder,  so  as 
to  afford  a  ready  and  convenient  mode  of  regulating  the  pressure  of 
the  style  or  point  on  the  surface  of  the  chemically  prepared  paper  or 
other  suitable  fabric. 

"  Thirdly.  In  a  mode  of  applying  a  weight  for  regulating  the  pressure 
of  an  upper  on  a  lower  revolving  wheel,  or  roller,  in  motion,  so  as  to 
grasp  the  strip  of  chemically  prepared  paper,  or  other  suitable  fabric, 
and  insure  its  being  drawn  continually  forward. 

"  Fourthly.  In  a  mode  of  arranging  the  marking  instruments,  keys, 
wires,  and  batteries,  in  a  single  circuit,  and  in  branch  circuits,  con- 
nected therewith,  so  that  a  copy  of  a  message  sent  from  any  station 
may  be  marked  upon  the  chemically  prepared  paper,  or  other  fabric, 
at  any  desired  number  of  stations  in  communication  therewith,  and 
also,  if  required,  at  the  transmitting  station. 

"  We  would  here  state,  that  the  paper,  linen,  or  other  suitable  fabric, 
may  be  prepared  by  being  equally  and  thoroughly  moistened  by  the 
following  chemical  compound,  viz. :  Ten  parts,  by  measure,  of  a  satu- 
rated solution  of  prussiate  of  potash,  which  will  be  best  made  in  dis- 
tilled water,  and  we  prefer  to  use  the  yellow  prussiate  for  this  purpose ; 
two  parts,  by  measure,  of  nitric  acid,  of  the  strength  of  about  40°  by 
Baum^'s  scale ;  two  parts  by  measure  of  muriatic  acid,  of  the  strength 
of  about  20°  by  Baum^'s  scale. 

"  To  keep  the  paper,  or  other  fabric,  in  a  sufficiently  moist  state,  fa- 
vorable for  the  action  of  an  electric  current,  we  add  about  one  part 
by  measure  of  chloride  of  calcium ;  this  mixture  is  to  be  kept  stirred 
about  with  a  glass  rod  until  the  chloride  of  calcium  is  in  complete  solu- 
tion. In  connection  with  this  compound,  it  is  proper  to  observe  that 
we  have  found  that  prussiate  of  potash,  combined  with  almost  any 


42  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

acids,  will  give  mark  under  the  decomposing  action  of  an  electric  cur- 
rent, but  no  other  mixtures  act  so  quickly,  or  give  such  permanent 
marks  with  feeble  currents  of  electricity,  as  that  herein  described.  The 
principal  use  of  the  chloride  of  calcium  is,  that  it  absorbs  moisture  from 
the  atmosphere,  and  thereby  keeps  the  prepared  fabric  in  a  proper 
state  to  be  acted  upon  by  an  electric  current  in  all  states  of  the 
weather." 

"  The  system  of  correspondence  made  use  of  consists  of  dots  and  lines, 
the  number,  dimensions,  and  relative  positions  of  which  form  an  in- 
telligible code  of  signals,  as  is  well  understood. 

"  We  do  not  claim  as  our  invention  the  train  of  wheels  constituting 
the  motive  part  of  the  marking  instruments ;  neither  do  we  claim  or 
confine  ourselves  to  any  particular  form  of  battery  or  other  generator 
of  electricity,  which  may  be  of  any  suitable  form,  several  of  which  are 
well  known  and  in  common  use. 

"  We  desire  it  to  be  understood  that  what  we  claim  as  new  and  of 
our  invention,  is : — 

"Firstly.  The  modes  of  arranging  the  several  parts  of  our  marking 
instruments  for  Electro-Chemical  Telegraphs,  substantially  as  herein- 
before described. 

"  Secondly.  We  claim  the  mode  of  adjusting  a  style  or  point-holder, 
as  herein-before  described  and  shown,  so  as  to  afford  a  ready  and  con- 
venient mode  of  regulating  the  pressure  of  the  style  or  point  upon  the 
surface  of  chemically  prepared  fabric. 

"  Thirdly.  We  claim  the  mode  of  applying  a  weight,  for  the  purpose 
of  regulating  the  pressure  of  a  wheel  or  roller  in  motion,  so  as  to  grasp 
the  strip  of  prepared  paper,  and  insure  its  being  drawn  continually 
forward. 

"  Fourthly.  We  claim  the  mode  of  arranging  the  marking  and  trans- 
mitting instruments,  wires,  and  batteries,  in  a  single  circuit,  and  in 
branch  circuits  connected  therewith ;  so  that  a  copy  of  a  message  sent 
from  any  one  station  may  be  marked  upon  chemically  prepared  paper, 
or  other  fabric,  at  one  or  any  desired  number  of  stations  in  communi- 
cation therewith,  and  also,  if  required,  at  the  transmitting  station, 
without  requiring  the  use  of  any  secondary  current." 

On  the  28th  of  May,  1850,  Messrs.  Westbrook  and  Eogers,  the 
former  of  Washington,  the  latter  of  Baltimore,  secured  a  patent  for 
the  "  Electric  Metallic  Telegraph."  In  their  Specification,  they  state 
that :  "  The  nature  of  our  invention  consists  in  recording  telegraphic 
signs  on  a  metallic  surface,  connected  with  the  earth  by  a  wire  con- 
ductor at  one  end,  and  to  a  galvanic  battery  and  the  earth  at  the  other 
end  of  the  circuit,  by  the  use  of  the  acidulated  water  or  other  fluid 
interposed  between  the  point  of  the  usual  wire  conductor  leading  from 
the  operating  apparatus,  connected  with  the  galvanic  battery  of  the 
ordinary  construction  and  the  metallic  surface,  by  which  the  use  of 
paper  is  dispensed  with;  time  also  being  saved,  in  not  having  to 
moisten  the  chemically  prepared  paper  when  it  becomes  too  dry  for 
use,  and  in  having  the  telegraphic  signs  more  clear  and  distinct  on  the 
metallic  surface  than  on  the  paper ;  in  avoiding  the  inconvenience 
arising  from  the  fumes  from  the  chemicals  employed  in  preparing  the 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  43 

paper,  and  evils  arising  from  the  corrosion  of  instruments,  and  annoy- 
ance to  operators  in  preparing  and  using  chemical  paper,  and  other 
inconveniences." 

The  metallic  recording  surface,  after  being  filled  and  transferred,  is 
simply  cleaned  by  the  application  of  a  sponge  or  other  soft  substance 
saturated  with  acidulated  water.  The  wire  conductor  has  the  form  of 
a  tubular  pen,  of  which  the  fluid  flows  by  means  of  a  barrel  valve  or 
sponge  and  porous  substances,  such  as  glass  or  ivory,  open  at  both 
ends,  through  which  the  acidulated  water  or  other  fluid  passes  to  the 
metallic  surface,  on  which  the  telegraphic  signs  are  to  be  made. 

Before  concluding  the  subject  of  electro-chemical  telegraphs,  I  would 
bring  before  my  readers  a  communication  from  the  distinguished  French 
philosopher,  the  Abbe  Moigno,  author  of  the  Traitt  de  Telegraphie- 
Electrique,  although  not  agreeing  with  the  sentiments  expressed  in 
my  former  communication ;  but  I  have  introduced  it  in  justice  to  Mr. 
Bain,  and  from  respect  to  the  opinion  of  M.  Moigno. 

Communication  on  the  Electric  Telegraph. — The  President  of  the  So- 
ciety for  the  Encouragement  of  National  Industry  (Session  May  8, 
1850)  announced  that  Mr.  Bain  had  arranged  in  the  hall  his  ingenious 
system  of  electric  telegraphing,  of  which  M.  Sequier  had  during  a  pre- 
vious session  given  a  description,  which  greatly  interested  the  members 
of  the  Society. 

The  Abbe  Moigno  was  invited  to  give  an  explanation  of  this  appa- 
ratus, to  which  invitation  he  quickly  responded. 

"  In  this  consists  the  ingenious  mechanism  of  this  apparatus,  to  which 
the  author  has  given  the  name  of  electro-chemical  telegraph,  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  the  electro-magnetic  telegraphs  now  in  use,  provided 
it  be  deprived  of  the  magnet. 

u  The  message  wished  to  be  transmitted,  is  written  on  a  piece  of  long 
narrow  paper  by  cutting,  with  the  aid  of  a  punch,  the  letters  of  a  very 
simple  alphabet  composed  of  points  and  horizontal  lines.  This  band 
is  rolled  on  a  wooden  cylinder,  and  then  unrolls  itself  with  the  aid  of 
a  crank,  so  as  to  pass  on  a  second  metallic  cylinder,  which  supports 
four  little  springs  which  communicate  with  the  conducting  wire  of  the 
telegraphic  line ;  the  metallic  cylinder  is  connected  with  the  pole  of  a 
battery  of  small  volume  and  very  simple  construction. 

"  The  band  of  paper  presents  in  turn  a  covered  part  and  a  vacant 
space  ;  this  last  represents  the  letters  of  the  alphabet,  whilst  the  covered 
parts  are  of  paper,  that  is  to  say,  an  insulating  substance.  When  the 
small  springs  rest  on  the  covered  parts,  the  circuit  is  not  formed  and 
the  current  does  not  pass ;  but  so  soon  as  the  springs  touch  an  empty 
place,  they  are  in  contact  with  the  cylinder ;  from  that  time  the  com- 
munication is  established,  the  current  circulating,  and  arriving  instan- 
taneously at  the  station.  There  a  small  style  is  attached  to  the  con- 
ducting wire  of  the  line ;  below  this  style  turns  a  metallic  plate,  which 
is  covered  with  a  disk  of  paper,  chemically  prepared  by  dipping  it  at 
first  in  a  solution  of  sulphuric  acid,  and  afterwards  in  a  solution  of 
prussiate  of  potash.  The  plate  and  the  damp  disk  with  which  it  is 
covered,  communicate  with  one  of  the  poles  of  the  battery  at  the  sta- 


44  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

tion  of  arrival.  The  current  is  afterwards  completed  through  the 
earth. 

"  The  dispatch  is  transmitted  in  the  following  manner :  At  a  given 
signal,  the  style  is  applied  to  the  chemical  paper ;  at  every  empty  space 
on  the  band  of  paper,  which  is  unrolled  by  the  crank,  the  current 
passes,  and  under  its  influence  the  point  of  the  style,  by  the  chemical 
action  which  it  exercises,  traces  a  point  or  a  little  line  of  a  very  dark 
color,  which  is  the  faithful  representation  of  the  letter  which  must  be 
reproduced  at  a  distance. 

"  The  band  on  which  an  entire  page  is  written  unrolls  itself  with  ex- 
treme rapidity ;  the  plate,  drawn  by  a  clock-like  movement,  turns  also 
with  great  quickness.  At  45  seconds,  the  1,200  letters  composing  this 
page  appear  very  neatly  drawn  on  the  disks  of  the  chemical  paper,  and 
were  thus  faithfully  reproduced,  and  would  have  gone  two  or  three 
hundred  leagues  farther  without  any  difficulty.  The  movement  printed 
on  the  plate  is  a  spiral  one,  so  that  the  successive  lines  do  not  super- 
sede each  other,  but  remain  entirely  distinct. 

"  These  are  the  advantages  which  the  author  attributes  to  his  system 
of  electro-chemical  telegraph :  1st,  more  economy  and  simplicity  in  the 
primitive  construction ;  2d,  more  rapidity  in  the  transmission  of  the 
dispatches ;  a  single  wire  with  a  good  insulator  can  transmit  1,200 
letters  a  minute,  or  20  letters  a  second,  that  is,  ten  times  more  than  is 
customary;  3d,  an  electric  current  more  feeble  than  is  ordinary  suf- 
fices to  cause  the  apparatus  to  work,  and  is  consequently  less  exposed 
to  the  chances  of  interruption  by  the  imperfection  of  the  insulation, 
which  results  sometimes  from  the  vicissitudes  of  the  weather  and  other 
circumstances ;  4th,  more  simplicity  and  economy  in  the  correspond- 
ence and  superintendence ;  5th,  fewer  chances  of  error  in  the  dis- 
patches sent. 

"  Bain's  telegraph  is  in  operation  in  England,  from  London  to  Man- 
chester, and  from  Manchester  to  Liverpool,  over  an  extent  of  300 
kilometres  (186  J  miles),  and  in  America  on  a  line  of  2,000  kilometres 
(1,2424  miles). 

"The  President  begs  Mr.  Bain  to  receive  the  congratulations  of  the 
Society  on  his  system  of  electric  telegraphing,  and  he  renders  to  M. 
Abbe  Moigno  the  thanks  of  the  Society  for  the  complaisance  with  which 
he  has  given  clear  and  precise  explanations  on  the  mechanism  and  play 
of  this  system." — Bulletin  de  la  Societe  d1  Encouragement  pour  Is Industrie 
Nationals,  May  8,  1850,  p.  236. 

Before  giving  an  account  of  the  various  forms  of  electro-magnetic 
telegraphs,  it  will  be  proper  to  give  a  brief  account  of  the  science 
which  investigates  the  relations  subsisting  between  the  electric,  gal- 
vanic, and  magnetic  fluids ;  as  all  the  forms  of  telegraph  I  am  about  to 
describe,  depend  on  the  power  of  the  electric  current  to  deflect  a  mag- 
netic needle,  or  the  power  of  the  current  to  impart  temporary  mag- 
netism to  iron,  or  to  produce  electric  currents  by  magnetic  induction. 

Electro- Magnetism. — The  power  of  lightning  to  destroy  and  reverse 
the  poles  of  a  magnet,  and  to  convey  magnetic  properties  to  iron,  which 
did  not  previously  possess  them,  was  noticed  at  a  very  early  period  of 
electrical  science,  and  led  to  the  supposition  that  common  electricity 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  45 

and  galvanism  would  produce  the  same  effect.  Attempts  were  made  to 
prove  this  fact,  but  no  important  results  were  obtained,  until  the  late 
Prof.  (Ersted,  of  Copenhagen,  published  in  Thomson's  Annals  of  Philoso- 
phy, for  October,  1820,  the  important  discovery  he  had  made  in  the 
winter  of  1819,  which  laid  the  foundation  of  the  science  of  electro- 
magnetism.  He  ascertained  that,  when  a  wire  conducting  electricity  is 
placed  parallel  to  a  magnetic  needle  properly  suspended,  the  needle  will 
deviate  from  its  natural  position,  which  is  thus  expressed  in  Ampere's 
brief  and  universal  terms:  "That  the  north  pole  of  a  magnet  is  invariably 
deflected  to  the  left  of  the  current  which  passes  between  the  needle  and  the 
observer,  who  is  to  have  his  face  toivards  the  needle,  the  electric  current  being 
supposed  to  enter  near  his  feet,  and  to  pass  out  near  his  head''1  Likewise, 
that  this  deviation  follows  a  regular  law,  which  can  be  stated  in  four 
general  rules :  1st.  If  the  needle  is  above  the  conducting  wire,  and  the 
electricity  passes  from  right  to  left,  the  north  pole  of  the  needle  will 
be  moved/rom  the  operator.  2d.  If  the  needle  is  below  the  wire,  and 
the  electricity  passes  as  before,  the  north  pole  of  the  needle  will  be 
turned  towards  the  observer.  3d.  If  the  needle  is  put  in  the  same 
horizontal  plane  with  the  wire,  and  is  between  the  observer  and  the 
wire,  the  north  pole  of  it  will  be  elevated.  4th.  If  the  needle  is  in  like 
manner  placed  on  the  opposite  side,  the  north  pole  will  be  depressed. 
To  exhibit  this  effect  well,  the  needle  must  be  very  near  the  wire. 
Other  new  and  important  facts  were  soon  after  discovered  by  Ampere 
and  Arago,  in  France;  Davy  and  Faraday,  in  England;  and  Prof. 
Henry,  then  of  Albany,  New  York.  Ampere  satisfactorily  referred  all 
the  observed  phenomena  to  the  laws  which  govern  the  n^utual  actions 
of  electrical  currents,  by  means  of  a  very  ingenious  hypothesis — that 
magnetism  consists  in  electrical  currents,  revolving  around  the  minute 
particles  of  a  magnet,  in  planes  perpendicular  to  its  axis.  This  branch 
of  science  is  also  named  electro-dynamics,  which  simply  means  elec- 
tricity in  motion,  while  electricity  at  rest,  is  called  statical  electricity. 
The  laws  of  electro-dynamical  attraction  and  repulsion,  experimentally 
established  by  M.  Ampere,  and  which  serve  to  explain  all  the  known 
phenomena,  may  be  plainly  stated  in  a  few  general  propositions. 

Proposition  1st.  Parallel  currents  (Fig.  9),  flowing  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, attract  each  other,  where  a  b  c  d  are  the  currents,  whose  directions 

Fig.  9.  Fig.  11. 

a ^r— 6 


d 


Fig.  10. 


are  indicated  by  arrows.     They  mutually  repel,  when  their  directions 
are  opposite,  as  in  Fig.  10,  a  b  c  d. 

Proposition  2d.     Two  currents  attract  each  other,  when  they  both 
flow  towards  or  from  a  certain  point,  if  they  are  not  in  the  same  plane, 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Fig.  12. 


as  in  Fig.  11.     And  they  repel  each  other,  if  one  approaches  and  the 
other  recedes  from  that  point,  as  in  Fig.  11. 

If  two  rectilinear  currents,  a  b  and  c  d,  Fig.  12,  cross  each  other, 
then,  by  the  preceding  case,  they  will  attract  each  other  between  the 
vertical  angles  x  and  y,  and  repel  between  z  and  w.  The  result  will 
be  that  both  conductors  will  endeavor  to  take  up  a  position  in  which 
the  currents  that  flow  through  them  may  have  a  similar  direction. 
Proposition  3d.  These  attractive  forces  vary  in  their  intensity  in 

the  inverse  ratio  of  the  square,  of  the 
distance — or,  as  the  distance  increases, 
so  their  force  diminishes. 

Proposition  Ith.  The  attraction  or 
repulsion  exerted  by  a  current  passing 
through  a  tortuous  conductor,  no  mat- 
ter how  numerous  its  windings  may  be, 
is  exactly  equal  to  that  which  is  pro- 
duced by  the  same  current  when  it  fol- 
lows in  a  straight  line  between  the 
points,  as  shown  in  Fig.  13.  A  mag- 
netic needle  is  a  galvanoscope,  by  which 
the  existence  and  direction  of  an  elec- 
tric current  may  be  detected.  It  was  early  employed  with  this  inten- 
tion, by  Ampere,  but,  as  the  deflection  took  place  only  when  the  op- 
posite ends  of  the  battery  were  in  connection,  and  ceased  when  the 
circuit  was  broken,  he  inferred  that  electricity  passes  uninterruptedly 
through  thejoattery  itself  when  the  circuit  is  closed,  and  that  there  is 
no  action  in  the  interrupted  circuit. 

A  magnetic  needle  will  not  only  indicate  the  existence  and  direction 
of  an  electric  current,  but  may  serve  by  the  degree  of  deflection  as  an 

exact  measure  of  its  force.     When  used 
Fig.  14.  for  this  purpose  it  is  called  a  galvanome- 

ter, the  first  example  of  which  was  in- 
vented by  Professor  Schweigger,  of  Halle, 
in  1820,  soon  after  the  discovery  of  eiec- 
tro-magnetism,  and  was  called  by  him  an 
electro -magnetic  multiplier;  an  example 
of  this  form  of  instrument  is  seen  in  Fig. 
14.  Various  forms  have  been  given  to 
this  instrument,  as  it  is  the  basis  of  all  the  needle  telegraphs. 

A  current  of  galvanic  electricity  not  only  determines  the  position 
of  a  magnet,  but  renders  steel  permanently  magnetic.  This  was  ob- 
served nearly  at  the  same  time,  by  M.  Arago  and  Sir  H.  Davy,  who 
found  that,  when  needles  are  placed  at  right  angles  to  the  conducting 
wire,  permanent  magnetism  is  communicated  to  them.  Sir  H.  Davy 
succeeded  in  producing  this  effect,  even  with  a  shock  of  electricity 
from  a  Leyden  jar.  M.  Arago,  at  the  suggestion  of  M.  Ampere,  made 

a  galvanic  conductor  in  the  form  of  a  helix, 
Fig.  15.  or  coil,  into  the  axis  of  which  he  placed  a 

needle,  as  seen  in  Fig.  15.  This  helix  was 
simply  a  spiral  coil  of  wire,  the  extremities 
of  it  being  connected  to  the  opposite  poles 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  47 

of  a  battery,  thus  permitting  an  electrical  circuit  to  pass  through  it. 
By  this  arrangement,  the  current  is  almost  at  right  angles  to  the 
needle,  and  as  each  coil  adds  its  effect  to  that  of  the  others,  the  entire 
action  of  the  spiral  helix  is  extremely  powerful.  In  this  way  a  needle 
can  be  completely  magnetized  in  an  instant,  and  this  is  the  method 
now  principally  employed  by  artisans  in  the  manufacture  of  compass* 
needles. 

When  the  conductors  of  a  galvanic  battery  are  brought  near,  or  in 
contact  with  a  quantity  of  iron  filings,  the  filings  will  be  attracted  to- 
wards the  conductors,  and  place  themselves  in  the  form  of  a  ring 
around  it.  This  action  takes  place  while  a  current  of  galvanism  is 
sent  through  the  conductor,  but  as  soon  as  that  current  is  broken  they 
fall  off.  By  observation  of  this  fact,  M.  Arago  was  led  to  the  im- 
portant discovery  of  what  is  termed  magnetic  induction  by  electrical 
currents  ;  namely,  that  a  current  of  electricity  passing  through  a 
conductor  will  induce,  or  make  sensible,  magnetic  action  in  those 
bodies  near  it,  which  are  capable  of  being  magnetized.  Arago  was 
then  the  first  to  form  a  temporary  magnet.  That  this  property  is 
magnetic,  and  not  simply  electrical,  is  shown  by  the  fact,  that  the 
filings  of  other  metals  are  not  attracted  in  the  same  way.  It  likewise 
renders  steel  needles  permanently  magnetic  when  placed  in  the  axis 
of  the  spiral  helix  or  coil. 

The  word  induction  is  here  used  to  express  that  power  which  elec- 
tricity has  to  make  magnetic  action  apparent  to  our  senses.  That  the 
effect  of  the  galvanic  current  upon  the  iron  filings  and  needles  is  one 
of  magnetic  induction,  is  proved  by  the  reality  that  they  acquire  this 
property  without  contact  with,  and  even  at  a  distance  from,  the  con- 
ducting wire. 

When  the  conjunctive  wire  is  made  of  a  non-magnetic  metal,  such 
as  copper,  it  is  well  known  that  iron  filings  will  adhere  when  brought 
in  contact  with  it.  This  fact  has  been  generally  attributed  to  tempo- 
rary magnetism,  induced  in  the  wire,  whereby  it  attracts  the  filings. 
Dr.  Bache,  the  eminent  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the  Jefferson  College, 
Philadelphia,  however,  has  shown  that  this  alleged  attraction  does  not 
take  place,  and  that  the  filings  adhere  to  the  wire  because  the  particles 
of  the  iron  become  magnets,  and,  adhering  together,  form  a  ring  around 
the  wire,  which  ring  supports  them  in  their  position.  When  the  upper 
side  of  the  ring  of  filings  is  broken,  they  immediately  fall  off. 

Mr.  Wm.  Sturgeon,  a  native  of  London,  about  the  year  1825,  dis- 
covered that  when  wires  of  soft  iron  were  placed  within  the  coil  of  a 
conducting  wire,  they  were  rendered  intensely  magnetic. — Annals  of 
Philos.  vol.  xii.  p.  359. 

Our  knowledge  of  this  subject  was  afterwards  greatly  extended 
during  the  period  from  1828  to  1831,  by  the  researches  of  Professor 
Henry,  Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  at  Washington. 

Though  soft  iron  does  not  retain  magnetism,  its  magnetic  proper- 
ties, while  under  the  influence  of  a  galvanic  current,  are  very  surpris- 
ing. A  piece  of  soft  iron,  about  a  foot  long  and  an  inch  in  diameter, 
is  bent  in  the  form  of  a  horseshoe ;  an  insulated  copper  wire  is  twist- 
ed round  the  bar  at  right  angles  to  the  axis,  and  an  armature  or  keeper 


48  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

of  soft  iron,  to  which  a  weight  may  be  attached,  is  fitted  to  its  ex- 
tremities ;    as   may  be   seen   in   this  instrument, 
16.  Fig.  16.     On  connecting  the  ends  of  the  wire  with 

a  simple  galvanic  circle,  the  soft  iron  instantly  be- 
comes a  powerful  magnet,  and  will  support  a 
weight  of  50,  60,  or  even  70  pounds.  As  soon  as 
the  galvanic  circuit  is  broken,  the  iron  immedi- 
ately loses  its  magnetism  and  the  weight  drops. 
When  the  number  of  coils  is  increased,  they  give 
great  additional  power.  The  wire  used  for  mak- 
ing the  helix  must  be  wound  with  waxed  or  silk 
thread,  to  insulate  it,  so  as  to  prevent  the  current 
from  skipping  along  the  contiguous  parts  of  the  coil, 
and  thus  taking  a  shorter  route  for  its  circuit,  instead  of  traversing 
around  the  bar. 

The  instrument  first  used  by  Prof.  Henry,  in  1828,  to  illustrate 
electro-magnetic  action,  consisted  of  an  iron  bar,  two  inches  square, 
twenty  inches  long,  bent  in  a  horseshoe  form,  and  weighing  21  pounds. 
The  keeper  weighed  7  pounds,  and  540  feet  of  insulated  copper 
wire  were  wound  in  nine  coils  of  60  feet  each  around  the  horseshoe- 
shaped  bar  of  soft  iron.  From  the  experiments  whicl;  he  made  with 
it,  he  proved  that  a  small  battery  is  capable  of  producing  great 
magnetic  effects,  if  the  spirals  of  the  coil  are  numerous,  and  the  re- 
sistance to  the  passage  of  electricity  is  not  very  great.  He  also 
showed  the  effect  of  varying  the  lengths  of  the  conducting  wires  and 
the  intensity  of  the  current,  and  found  that  six  short  wires  were 
more  powerful  than  three  of  double  the  length.  When  the  current 
was  made  to  pass  through  all  of  the  nine  coils,  the  magnet  raised  750 
pounds. 

After  all  his  investigations,  he  concluded  that  we  can  use  long  or 
short  wires  as  the  case  may  require.  Where  we  use  long  wires,  the 
galvanic  battery  must  have  a  number  of  plates,  in  order  to  give  pro- 
jectile force  ;  on  the  contrary,  a  single  pair  of  plates  will  answer  for 
short  wires. 

"  May  it  not  also  be  a  fact  that  the  galvanic  fluid,  in  order  to  pro- 
duce the  greatest  magnetic  effects,  should  move  with  a  small  velocity, 
and  that,  in  passing  through  one-fifth  of  a  mile,  its  velocity  is  so  re- 
tarded as  to  produce  a  greater  magnetic  action. 

"But  be  this  as  it  may,  the  fact  that  the  magnetic  action  of  a  current 
from  a  trough  is,  at  least,  not  sensibly  diminished  by  passing  through 
a  long  wire,  is  directly  applicable  to  Wm.  Barlow's  project  of  forming 
an  electro-magnetic  telegraph,  and  also  of  material  consequence  in 
the  construction  of  the  galvanic  coil.  From  these  experiments,  it  is 
evident  that  in  forming  the  coil  we  may  either  use  one  very  long  wire 
or  several  shorter  ones,  as  the  circumstances  may  require  ;  in  the  first 
case,  our  galvanic  combination  must  consist  of  a  number  of  plates  so 
as  to  give  projectile  force ;  in  the  second,  it  must  be  formed  of  a  single 
pair. 

"  The  wire  used  was  1,060  feet  (a  little  more  than  one-fifth  of  a  mile) 
of  copper  wire,  of  the  kind  called  bell  wire,  .045(^^0)  of  an  inch  in 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  49 

diameter,  were  stretched  several  times  across  the  large  room  of  the 
Academy." — Sillimaris  Journal,  vol.  xix.  January,  1831. 

He  afterwards  endeavored  to  ascertain  the  best  form  of  iron  to 
receive  magnetism,  but  did  not  succeed  satisfactorily.  However,  he 
found  that  magnetic  power  resided  wholly  on  the  surface  of  iron 
bodies,  though  a  certain  thickness  of  metal  is  necessary  for  its  com- 
plete development.  Hence  the  larger  amount  of  iron  surface  we  have, 
the  more  powerful  will  the  magnet  be,  when  all  other  things  are  alike. 
This  is  the  reason  that  a  bundle  of  wires  will  exhibit  greater  mag- 
netic effects  than  a  solid  bar,  containing  much  more  iron.  Bachhoff- 
ner,  of  Germany,  and  Sturgeon,  of  London,  were  the  first  who  noticed 
this  fact. 

In  1830,  Prof.  Moll,  of  Utrecht,  made  some  experiments  of  the  same 
nature,  and  noticed  particularly  the  sudden  destruction  and  reproduc- 
tion of  magnetism  when  the  current  is  reversed. — Bibliotheque  Univer- 
selle,  1830,  p.  19. 

Subsequently,  Prof.  Henry  constructed  two  of  the  largest  and  most 
powerful  instruments  of  this  kind  at  present  known.  One  now  in  the 
cabinet  of  Yale  College,  weighing  59  J  pounds,  which  sustained  a  weight 
of  2,063  pounds ;  another,  belonging  to  the  cabinet  of  Princeton  Col- 
lege, N".  J.,  of  100  pounds'  weight,  which  could  support  3,500  pounds, 
or  one  and  a  half  tons. 

According  to  our  present  knowledge  of  the  matter,  the  power  of 
an  electro-magnet  depends  on  five  important  conditions,  viz. :  1.  The 
intensity  and  tension  of  the  electric  current.  2.  The  number  of  coils 
around  the  magnet.  3.  The  quantity  of  iron  composing  the  magnet. 
4.  The  structure  of  the  iron,  the  purest,  softest,  and  most  homogeneous 
receiving  the  most  magnetism.  5.  The  form  of  the  magnet,  as  cylin- 
ders were  found  to  support  greater  weights  than  solid  bars,  and  bundles 
of  wires  more  than  cylinders. 

Magneto- Electricity. — The  power  which  electricity  of  tension  pos- 
sesses of  causing  an  opposite  electrical  state  in  its  vicinity  has  been 
expressed  by  the  general  term  induction,  which,  as  it  has  been  received 
into  scientific  language,  may  also,  with  propriety,  be  used  in  the  same 
general  sense  to  express  the  power  which  electrical  currents  may  pos- 
sess of  inducing  any  particular  state  upon  matter  in  their  immediate 
neighborhood,  otherwise  indifferent ;  this  is  the  meaning  given  to  it 
by  Professor  Faraday,  in  his  Experimental  Researches.  Previous  to  the 
experiments  of  this  distinguished  philosopher,  certain  results  of  im- 
portance had  been  obtained  by  Ampere,  showing  the  induction  of  elec- 
trical currents  by  his  experiment  of  bringing  a  copper  disk  near  to  a 
flat  spiral ;  also  his  repetition  of  Arago's  experiment,  and  the  wonder- 
ful effects  produced  by  Sturgeon,  Moll,  and  Henry.  Still,  Faraday 
remarks,  it  appeared  unlikely  that  these  could  be  all  the  effects  which 
induction  by  currents  could  produce. 

These  considerations,  with  their  consequences,  stimulated  him  to  in- 
vestigate experimentally,  with  the  hope  of  obtaining  electricity  from 
ordinary  magnetism. 

Though  baffled  in  his  early  attempts,  he  at  last  succeeded  in  laying 
open  a  new  branch  of  electro-dynamics,  which  vies  in  interest  and 
4 


50  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH, 

importance  with  the  fundamental  discovery  of  (Ersted.  "  A  copper 
wire,  203  feet  long,  was  passed  in  the  form  of  a  helix  around  a  large 
block  of  wood,  and  an  equal  length  of  a  similar  wire  was  wound  on 
the  same  block,  and  in  the  same  direction,  so  that  the  coils  of  each 
helix  should  be  interposed,  but  without  actual  contact,  between  the 

coils  of  the  other.     The  two  ends  of 
Fig.  17.  one  of  the  helices,  a  and  6,  as  in  Fig. 

17,  were  connected  with  a  galvanome- 
ter, and  those  of  the  other,  ate  and  c?, 
with  a  strong  galvanic  battery,  with 
a  view  of  ascertaining  whether  the 
passage  of  an  electric  current  through 
one  helix  would  create  or  induce  a 
current  in  the  adjoining  helix.  It  was 
found  that  the  galvanometer  needle 

indicated  a  current  to  have  been  elicited  in  the  under  wire,  at  the  mo- 
merit  of  completing  and  breaking  the  circuit,  but  that,  in  the  interval, 
no  deflection  took  place.  And  likewise,  the  induced  currents  readily 
magnetized  a  sewing  needle,  while  the  electric  current  along  the  in- 
ducing coil  was  in  the  act  of  beginning  or  ceasing  to  flow,  but  at  no 
other  period.  An  electric  current  transmitted  from  a  galvanic  battery 
through  a  conducting  coil,  does  not  induce  a  current  in  an  adjoining 
coil,  except  at  the  moment  of  making  or  breaking  the  circuit.  When 
the  circuit  is  closed,  the  direction  of  the  induced  current  is  opposite  to 
that  of  the  inducing  one,  but  when  it  is  broken,  the  direction  of  both 
is  the  same."  To  this  phenomenon  Professor  Faraday  gave  the  name  of 
volta-electric  induction.  The  power  of  magnetism,  to  induce  or  create 
an  electric  current  in  an  adjoining  body,  is  greater  than  that  of  electricity 
itself.  One  of  the  most  convenient  of  Professor  Faraday's  arrangements 
to  represent  this  action  consisted  of  a  hollow  cylinder  of  pasteboard, 
around  which  two  compound  coils  were  adjusted.  On  connecting  one 
of  these  coils  with  a  galvanic  battery,  the  other  coil  moved  the  needle 
of  the  galvanometer,  and  magnetized  steel  needles,  as  in  the  experiment 
just  described.  But  when  a  cylinder  of  soft  iron  was  introduced  into 
the  pasteboard  case,  and  a  galvanic  current  transmitted  as  before,  the 
effect  on  the  galvanometer  was  much  greater.  This  effect  results  from 
the  induction  of  magnetism  in  the  bar  of  iron,  which  magnetism  causes 
the  increased  amount  of  electricity  in  the  coil  connected  with  the  gal- 
vanometer. To  the  phenomena  in  the  last  experiment,  Professor 
Faraday  gave  the  name  of  magneto-electricity.  With  such  an  instru- 
ment, he  caused  convulsions  in  the  leg  of  a  frog,  and  when  the  ends 
of  the  induced  wire  were  armed  with  charcoal  points,  sparks  of  electric 
light  were  obtained  at  the  moment  the  galvanic  circuit  was  broken, 
and  closed  through  the  inducing  wire.  When  a  permanent  magnet  is 
placed  in  a  coil  of  wire,  a  current  of  electricity  is  set  up  in  the  wire. 
While  the  magnet  remains  in  the  coil  at  rest,  no  action  is  perceptible ; 
but,  on  removing  it,  another  current  is  perceived.  The  currents  move 
in  opposite  directions.  These  singular  phenomena,  which  establish 
such  new  and  intimate  relations  between  galvanic  and  magnetic  action, 
and  supply  additional  evidence  in  favor  of  Ampere's  beautiful  theory 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  51 

of  magnetism,  have  led  to  an  experiment  by  which,  at  first  view,  an 
electric  spark  appeared  to  be  derived  from  the  magnet  itself. — Fara- 
day's Researches,  Nov.  1831. 

Ampere's  theory  was,  that  all  magnetic  properties  of  bodies  can  be 
referred  to  currents  of  electricity  circulating  around  each  particle  of 
those  bodies. 

After  Professor  Faraday  had  announced  his  experiment  of  obtain- 
ing sparks  from  the  induced  wire,  other  attempts  were  made  to  effect 
the  same  object  with  a  magnet,  without  the  aid  of  galvanism.  The  first 
person  who  succeeded  in  Great  Britain  was  Professor  Forbes,  of  Edin- 
burgh, who  operated  with  a  loadstone,  which  had  been  presented  to 
the  University  of  Edinburgh  by  Dr.  Hope.  A  helix  of  copper  wire 
was  formed  around  the  middle  of  a  cylinder  of  soft  iron,  which  was  of 
such  length  that  its  extremities  reached  from  one  pole  of  the  loadstone 
to  the  other.  On  applying  and  withdrawing  the  soft  iron  cylinder  to 
and  from  the  poles  of  the  loadstone,  magnetism  was  alternately  created 
and  destroyed  within  it.  At  these  periods  of  transition,  electric  cur- 
rents were  induced  in  the  helix  surrounding  the  soft  iron ;  and  when, 
at  these  instants,  metallic  contact  between  the  conducting  wires  of  the 
helix  was  broken,  an  electric  spark  was  visible.  The  arrangement  of 
the  apparatus  is  shown  in  Fig.  18.  A  is  the  magnet,  a  b  a  cylindrical 
collector  of  soft  iron  passing  through  the  axis  of  the  helix  c,  and  con- 
Fig.  18. 


necting  the  poles  of  the  magnet.  The  one  termination  d  e  of  the  wire 
passed  into  the  bottom  of  a  glass  tube  h,  half  filled  with  mercury,  in 
which  the  wire  terminated.  The  other  extremity/,  of  the  helical  wire, 
communicated  by  means  of  the  cup  of  mercury  i  with  the  iron  wire  #, 
the  fine  point  of  which  may  be  brought  by  the  hand  into  contact  with 
the  surface  of  the  mercury  in  A,  and  separated  from  it  at  the  instant 
when  the  contact  of  the  connector  a  b  with  the  poles  of  the  magnet  is 
effected.  The  spark  is  produced  in  the  tube  h. 

In  this  experiment,  therefore,  the  electricity  was  obtained  from  the 
helix,  and  was  induced  in  it  by  the  soft  iron,  while  in  the  act  of  acquir- 
ing or  losing  magnetism.  (Phil.  Trans,  of  Ed.  1832.)  The  same  ex- 
periment was  performed  by  Professor  Faraday,  with  a  loadstone  be- 
longing to  Professor  Daniell;  and  shortly  before  the  experiment  of  Mr. 
Forbes,  Nobili  and  Antinori  succeeded  with  an  ordinary  steel  magnet. 
M.  Pixii,  of  Paris,  performed  this  experiment  in  1832,  with  great  effect. 


52 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


He  caused  a  strong  horseshoe  magnet  to  revolve  horizontally  upon 
an  axis,  so  that  its  poles  should  pass,  in  rapid  succession,  in  front  of 
a  soft  iron  armature  or  keeper  of  the  same  form.  (Ann.  de  Chem.  et  de 
Phys.)  Mr.  Saxton,  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  but  at  that  time  residing 
in  London,  made  an  important  improvement  upon  the  apparatus  of 
Pixii. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  British  Association,  at  Cambridge,  in  June, 
1833,  Mr.  Saxton  exhibited  his  improvement,  which  consists  in  making 
the  keeper,  the  lighter  body,  revolve,  while  the  magnets  remain  at  rest; 
and,  secondly,  the  interruptions,  instead  of  being  produced  by  the 
revolution  of  points,  were  made  by  bringing  one  of  the  ends  of  the 
wire  over  a  cup  of  mercury,  and  depending  on  the  jerks  given  to  the 
instrument  by  its  rotation  for  making  and  breaking  the  contact  with 
the  mercury.  Fig.  19  represents  the  complete  machine.  A  is  a  com- 
pound horseshoe  magnet,  composed  of  six  or  more  bars,  and  supported 
on  the  rests  &,  e,  which  are  screwed  firmly  on  the  board  B  D,  into  the 
rest;  e  is  screwed  on  the  brass  pillar  c,  carrying  the  large  wheel/,  hav- 

Fig.  19. 


ing  a  groove  in  its  circumference,  and  a  handle  by  which  it  can  readily 
be  revolved  on  its  axis ;  a  spindle  passes  from  one  end  of  the  magnet 
to  the  other  between  the  poles,  and  projects  beyond  them  about  three 
inches,  where  it  terminates  in  a  screw  at  A,  to  which  the  armatures,  to 
be  described  immediately,  are  attached ;  at  the  farther  extremity  is  a 
small  pulley,  over  which  a  catgut  band  passes,  by  means  of  which,  and 
the  multiplying  wheel  /,  the  armatures  can  be  revolved  with  great 
velocity.  The  armatures,  as  seen  at  F,  are  nothing  more  than  electro- 
magnets ;  two  pieces  of  round  iron  are  attached  to  a  crosspiece,  into 
the  centre  of  which  the  spindle  h  screws ;  round  each  of  these  bars  is 
wound  in  a  continuous  circuit  a  quantity  of  insulated  copper  wire,  one 
end  being  soldered  to  the  round  disk  ^  the  other  connected  with  the 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  53 

copper  wire  passing  through,  but  insulated  from  it  by  an  ivory  ring. 
By  means  of  the  wheel  and  spindle,  each  pole  of  the  armature  is 
brought  in  rapid  succession  opposite  each  pole  of  the  magnet,  and  that 
as  near  as  possible  without  absolutely  touching.  The  two  armatures 
differ  from  one  another.  The  one  termed  the  quantity-armature  is 
constructed  of  stout  iron,  and  covered  with  thick  insulated  wire.  The 
other,  the  intensity -armature,  is  constructed  of  slighter  iron,  and  co- 
vered with  from  1,000  to  2,000  yards,  according  to  the  size  of  the  instru- 
ment, of  fine  insulated  wire. — Loud.  &  Ed.  Phil.  Mag.  vol.  ix.  p.  860. 

The  quantity-armature  is  for  exhibiting  the  magnetic  spark,  inducing 
magnetism  in  soft  iron. 

The  intensity-armature  is  employed  for  medical  purposes,  and  for 
effecting  chemical  decomposition.  This  arrangement  of  armatures  was 
an  improvement  by  William  Clark,  of  London,  and  was  based  upon 
the  discoveries  of  Professor  Henry,  of  this  country,  who  found  that 
an  electrical  current  of  quantity  would  induce  a  current  of  intensity, 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  that  a  current  of  intensity  would  make  sensi- 
ble a  current  of  quantity. 

According  to  Faraday,  in  the  wire  of  the  helix  of  magneto-electric 
machines  (as,  for  instance,  in  Mr.  Saxton's  beautiful  arrangement),  an 
important  influence  of  the  principles  of  these  actions  of  induced  cur- 
rents is  evidently  shown.  From  the  construction  of  the  apparatus, 
the  current  is  permitted  to  move  in  a  complete  metallic  circuit  of  great 
length,  during  the  first  instants  of  its  formation ;  it  gradually  rises 
in  strength,  and  is  then  suddenly  stopped  by  the  breaking  of  the 
metallic  circuit ;  and  thus  great  intensity  is  given  by  induction  to  the 
electricity,  which  at  that  moment  passes.  This  intensity  is  not  only 
shown  by  the  brilliancy  of  the  spark  and  the  strength  of  the  shock, 
but  also  by  the  necessity  which  has  been  experienced  of  well  insulating 
the  convolutions  of  the  helix,  in  which  the  current  is  formed ;  and  it 
gives  to  the  current  a  force  at  these  moments  very  far  above  that 
which  the  apparatus  could  produce,  if  the  principle  of  the  inductive 
action  of  a  current  were  not  called  into  play. — Experimental  Researches, 
Dec.  8,  1834,  vol.  i.  p.  343. 

Another  important  improvement,  or  modification  of  the  magneto- 
electrical  machine,  was  made  in  1838,  by  Prof.  Page,  of  the  United 
States  Patent  Office.  According  to  Dr.  Page's  plan,  two  straight  keep- 
ers, surrounded  by  coils  of  insulated  copper  wire,  revolve  between  two 
powerful  horseshoe  magnets,  though  much  shorter  keepers  are  used 
now  than  those  he  introduced.  The  steel  magnets  are  fixed,  with  the 
south  pole  of  one  above  the  north  pole  of  the  other,  at  such  a  distance 
as  just  to  allow  the  armatures  to  pass  between  them.  The  keepers  are 
mounted  on  each  side  of  a  vertical  shaft,  in  such  a  manner  that  both 
keepers  shall  be  passing  between  the  opposite  poles  at  the  same  time. 
They  revolve  in  a  horizontal  direction  around  this  shaft,  while  those 
before  in  use  revolved  vertically  around  a  horizontal  axis.  A  little 
instrument,  called  a  pole  changer,  was  invented  by  Dr.  Page,  of  Wash- 
ington. It  is  composed  of  two  semi-cylindrical  pieces  of  silver,  fixed 
on  the  axis  upon  which  the  keeper  revolves,  but  insulated  from  that 
axis,  and  from  each  other.  To  each  of  the  segments  is  soldered  one 


54  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

end  of  the  wire  composing  the  coil.  Two  silver  springs  press  upon 
these  segments,  and  convey  the  electricity  to  the  screw  cups  or  point 
desired,  by  means  of  wires  attached  to  them.  The  pole  changer  on 
the  shaft  conveys  the  alternating  currents  in  a  constant  direction  to 
the  screw  cups,  with  which  some  metallic  handles  can  be  put  in  con- 
nection for  the  purpose  of  giving  shocks,  &c.  His  improved  form  of 
the  machine  is  represented  in  Fig.  20,  made  by  Mr.  D.  Davis,  Jr.,  of  Bos- 
ton, for  Prof.  Franklin  Bache,  of  this  city. 

"  Respecting  the  efficacy  of  this  machine,  the  following  is  the  sub- 
stance of  a  statement  in  a  letter  from  Dr.  W.  F.  Channing,  of  Boston, 

Fig.  20. 


to  Prof.  Hare,  of  this  city.  The  unmitigated  shocks  from  this  machine 
are  insupportable.  When  the  wires  which  break  the  shocks  are  re- 
moved, the  current  becomes  sufficiently  uniform  to  be  competent  for 
electrolysis,  or  imparting  magnetism  to  iron,  included  in  a  long  helix 
of  fine  wire,  comprised  in  the  circuit  of  the  helices  of  the  machine. 
When  sent  through  a  circuit  of  a  mile,  the  current  from  this  machine 
was  found  abundantly  competent  to  work  the  telegraph  of  Prof.  Morse." 
— Hare  on  Electro- Magnetism,  p.  131. 

In  Liebig's  Annual  Report  (vol.  iii.  part  1,  p.  146),  it  is  stated 
that  considerable  improvements  have  recently  been  made  in  the  mag- 
neto-electric machine. 

Sinstedern  (Pogg.  Ann.  Ixxvi.  29,  195,  524)  and  Stohrer  (Ibid. 
Ixxvii.  467)  have  published  instructive  suggestions  for  rendering  them 
more  perfect.  Stohrer  has  employed  these  machines,  as  it  appears, 
with  a  satisfactory  result,  for  the  purposes  of  the  electric  telegraph 
(Ibid.  485).  Dujardin,  of  France,  has  also  used  this  instrument  before 
the  Committee  on  Electric  Telegraphs,  appointed  by  the  legislative 
assembly  ;  the  circuit  he  employed  being  140  leagues,  by  uniting  two 
telegraphic  wires  at  Paris  and  Lille,  and  employing  a  single  magneto- 
electric  machine,  he  caused  his  telegraphic  machine  to  work  with  com- 
plete success,  transmitting  and  printing,  under  the  eyes  of  the  commit- 
tee, eighty -two  letters  a  minute. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  55 

Many  observers  who  have  availed  themselves  of  the  magneto-electric 
apparatus  for  the  production  of  electric  currents,  have  observed  that 
the  excitation  of  the  current  does  not  keep  pace,  as  might  have  been 
supposed,  with  the  velocity  of  rotation.  In  numerous  cases,  indeed, 
a  maximum  of  the  current-force  has  been  observed  to  attend  a  certain 
velocity  of  rotation.  This  deportment  has  been  explained  by  assuming 
that  the  production  and  disappearance  of  the  magnetism  in  the  iron 
cores  requires  a  certain  time.  This  explanation  has,  however,  been 
proved  by  Lenz  (Petersb.  Acad.  Bull.  vii.  257)  to  be  sufficient  for  those 
cases  only  in  which  the  induction-currents  set  up  are  of  a  very  low 
intensity,  when,  for  instance,  they  have  to  pass  through  a  great  length 
of  wire  in  addition  to  the  coils  in  which  they  are  developed.  On  the 
other  hand,  in  the  case  of  currents  which  have  only  to  surmount  com- 
paratively slight  external  resistances,  their  force  increases  for  equal 
velocity  of  rotation  the  more  slowly,  and,  as  this  velocity  increases, 
attains  a  maximum  the  sooner  the  smaller  the  external  resistance. 

Lenz  accounts  for  this  phenomenon  by  the  reaction  of  the  induced 
currents  upon  the  iron  cores,  by  which  magnetism  is  reproduced  in 
the  latter;  the  maximum  of  this  magnetism  coincides  with  the  maxi- 
mum of  the  current-force;  not,  however,  for  that  very  reason,  coin- 
ciding with  the  maximum  of  the  primary  magnetism  of  the  iron  cores 
induced  by  the  magnet,  it  consequently  causes  a  deviation  of  those 
points  of  the  rotation  in  which  the  induced  current-force  is  at  zero,  or 
a  maximum.  The  amount  of  deviation  increases  with  the  force  of  the 
current,  and  consequently  with  the  velocity  of  rotation.  It  is  there- 
fore clear  why,  in  the  commutators  of  the  machine,  which  are  empi- 
rically adjusted  for  the  development  of  the  greatest  current-force 
(always  in  the  same  direction),  the  change  does  not  take  place  at  the 
moment  when  the  iron  cores  are  opposite  to  the  poles  of  the  magnet ; 
if  the  matter  be  only  superficially  examined,  this  is  the  instant  at 
which  the  iron  cores  might  be  supposed  to  have  attained  the  greatest  pos- 
sible degree  of  magnetism,  and  at  which  the  induction  in  the  copper 
wires  would  be  at  zero. 


ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPHS. 

When  (Ersted's  splendid  discovery  was  announced,  and  it  was  seen 
that  feeble  electric  currents  would  produce  a  variety  of  magnetic  ac- 
tions, electrical  telegraphing  received  a  new  impulse,  and  numerous 
forms  of  telegraphic  apparatus  were  proposed,  of  which  I  will  now 
endeavor  to  give  an  account,  describing  each  step  in  the  progress  of 
discovery,  and  commencing  with 

Ampere's  Telegraph. 

In  1820,  Ampere,  in  consequence  of  a  suggestion  of  La  Place,  was 
led  to  devise  the  first  telegraph,  employing  the  deflection  of  the  mag- 
netic needle,  by  the  agency  of  the  galvanic  fluid,  which,  however,  it 
appears  that  he  did  not  carry  out  practically.  His  plan  was  to  have  as 


56  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

many  magnetic  needles  as  there  are  letters  of  the  alphabet,  which 
might  be  put  in  action  by  the  passage  of  currents  through  metallic 
conductors,  made  to  communicate  successively  with  the  battery,  by 
means  of  keys,  which  could  be  pressed  down  at  pleasure,  and  might 
give  place  to  a  telegraphic  correspondence  that  would  surmount  all 
distance,  and  be  as  prompt  as  writing  speech  to  transmit  thought. — 
Ann.  de  Chem.  et  de  Phys.  xv.  73. 

The  second  telegraph  was  suggested  by  Peter  Barlow,  F.  R.  S.,  in 
1825,  that  an  instantaneous  telegraph  might  be  established  by  means 
of  conducting  wires  and  compasses. — Edinburgh  Philos.  Journ.  vol.  xii. 
p.  105. 

In  1828,  Victor  Triboaillet  de  Saint  Amand  proposed  to  establish  a 
telegraphic  line  from  Paris  to  Brussels,  by  a  metallic  wire,  about  a  line 
or  a  line  and  a  half  in  diameter.  He  recommended  to  cover  the  wire 
with  shell-lac,  upon  which  was  to  be  wound  silk,  very  dry,  which  should 
be  covered  with  a  coating  of  resin.  The  whole  was  then  to  be  put  into 
glass  tubes,  carefully  luted  up  with  a  resinous  substance,  and  secured 
by  a  last  envelop,  then  varnished  over  and  hermetically  sealed ;  then, 
by  means  of  a  powerful  galvanic  battery,  he  would  communicate  the 
electricity  to  the  conducting  wire,  which  would  transmit  the  current 
to  the  opposite  station,  to  an  electroscope,  destined  to  render  sensible 
the  slightest  influence,  and  left  to  each  one  to  adopt,  at  pleasure,  the 
number  of  motions  to  express  the  words  or  letters  which  they  might 
need. — Report  of  Academy  of  Industry,  Paris,  from  Vails  E.  M.  Tele- 
graph, p.  138. 

Fechner's  Telegraph. 

Fechner,  of  Leipsic,  in  1829,  in  his  handbook  of  galvanism,  re- 
marks that  there  is  no  doubt  that,  if  the  insulated  wires  of  twenty- 
four  multipliers,  corresponding  to  the  several  letters  of  the  alphabet, 
and  situated  at  Leipsic,  were  conducted  under  ground  to  Dresden,  at 
which  place  the  battery  were  situated,  we  could  thus  obtain  a  means, 
probably  not  very  expensive,  comparatively  speaking,  of  transmitting 
intelligence  from  one  place  to  the  other,  by  means  of  signals  properly 
agreed  on  beforehand. 

I  confess,  it  is  a  very  seductive  idea,  to  imagine  that  by  future  de- 
velopment of  a  system  of  such  connections  at  some  time,  a  communi- 
cation between  the  central  point  and  the  parts  of  a  country  can  be 
established,  which  shall  consume  no  time,  like  communication  between 
the  central  point  of  our  organism  and  its  members  by  means  of  the 
nerves,  by  what  appears  to  me  a  very  analogous  arrangement. — Lehr- 
luck  des  Galvanismus,  p.  269. 

"Dr.  Ritchie,  in  a  lecture  at  the  Royal  Institution,  London,  in  1830, 
endeavored  to  illustrate  the  suggestion  of  Ampere,  and  exhibited  a 
model  of  a  telegraph  constructed  after  his  description;  the  arrange- 
ment was,  however,  very  complex  from  the  number  of  wires  employed, 
&c.,  and  Dr.  Ritchie  was  not  sanguine  as  to  the  ultimate  practicability 
of  the  scheme." — Journal  of  the  Royal  Institution,  p.  183. 


THE  ELECTRO  MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  57 


Schilling's  Telegraph. 

In  1832  and  1833,  Baron  Schilling,  of  Caunstadte,  a  Russian  Coun- 
sellor of  State,  had  occupied  himself  with  an  electro-magnetic  telegraph. 
The  Baron,  who  was  attached  to  the  Russian  embassy,  at  Munich,  at 
the  time  when  Sommering  was  engaged  with  his  galvanic  telegraph, 
already  described,  was  much  interested  in  the  experiments  of  the  lat- 
ter, and  shortly  after  (Ersted's  discovery  of  the  deflection  of  the  mag- 
netic needle,  Schilling  was  led  to  devise  a  needle  telegraph,  which 
consisted  in  a  certain  number  of  platinum  wires,  insulated,  and  united 
in  a  cord  of  silk,  which  put  in  action,  by  the  aid  of  a  species  of  key, 
36  magnetic  needles,  each  of  which  was  placed  vertically  in  the  centre 
of  a  multiplier.  Schilling  was  the  first  who  adapted  to  this  kind  of 
apparatus  an  ingenious  mechanism,  suitable  for  sounding  an  alarm, 
which,  when  the  needle  turned  at  the  beginning  of  the  correspondence, 
was  set  in  play  by  the  fall  of  a  little  ball  of  lead.  An  improved  form 
of  his  instrument  was  exhibited  at  the  Bonn  meeting  of  naturalists, 
by  Dr.  Munke,  in  1835  (Tsis.  Nog.  1836),  and  is  described  in  detail  in 
Gehler's  Physikalisches  Wo'rterbuch,  1838,  vol.  ix.  iii.  In  this  im- 
proved instrument,  light  disks  of  card-board,  attached  to  magnetic 
needles  inclosed  in  galvanometer  coils,  are  moved  by  the  galvanic  or 
magneto-electric  current.  Five  similarly  prepared  magnets,  arranged 
so  that  the  round  disks  of  card-board  were  only  seen  edgewise,  were 
connected  by  wires  with  the  distant  source  of  electricity ;  according 
to  the  direction  in  which  the  current  was  sent,  the  magnet  was  deflected 
to  the  right  or  left,  in  the  one  case  showing  to  the  observer  the  one 
side,  in  the  other  case,  the  reverse  of  the  card -board  disk ;  thus,  then, 
separate  signals  were  obtained,  which,  by  reference  to  a  telegraphic 
dictionary,  gave  any  required  number  of  signals. 

"  Professor  Henry,  Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  Wash- 
ington, says,  that  in  1832,  nothing  remained  to  be  discovered  in  order 
to  reduce  the  proposition  of  the  electro-magnetic  telegraph  to  practice. 
I  had  shown  that  the  attraction  of  an  armature  could  be  produced  at 
any  distance,  and  had  designed  the  kind  of  a  battery  and  coil  around 
the  magnet  to  be  used  for  this  purpose.  I  had  also  pointed  out  the 
fact  of  the  applicability  of  my  experiments  to  the  electro-magnetic 
telegraph.  I  make  a  distinction  between  the  terms  discovery  and 
invention.  The  first  relates  to  the  development  of  new  facts;  the 
second  to  the  application  of  these  or  other  facts  to  practical  purposes." 
— House  Case,  p.  93. 

s  Gauss  and  Weber  Electro- Magnetic  Needle  Telegraph. 

Counsellor  Gauss  and  Professor  Weber,  two  of  the  most  illustrious 
philosophers  of  Germany,  to  whom  the  science  of  magnetism  is  deeply 
indebted,  entered  nobly  into  the  lists  in  establishing,  by  means  of  elec- 
tricity, telegraphic  communication  between  the  Astronomical  Observa- 
tory, Physical  Cabinet,  and  Magnetic  Observatory  at  Gottingen,  the 
first  notice  of  which  is  found  in  Got.  Gel.  'Anz.  1834, 1273,  and  in  1836, 


58 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Schumacher  Jahrbuch,  pp.  38-39.  It  consisted  of  a  double  line  of  wire 
carried  over  the  houses  and  steeples  at  Gottingen.  It  was  constructed 
chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  being  able  to  make  investigations  respecting 
the  laws  of  the  force  of  galvanic  currents  on  a  large  scale,  under  dif- 
ferent circumstances.  The  circuit  employed  in  1833  was  about  nine 
thousand  feet ;  and  in  1834  or  1835,  at  least  fifteen  thousand,  but  part 
of  this  wire  was  reeled.  The  form  of  wire  employed  was  mostly 
copper,  of  the  size  known  in  commerce  as  No.  3,  of  which  a  length  of 
one  metre  weighs  eight  grammes ;  the  wire  of  the  multiplier  in  the 
Magnetic  Observatory  was  of  silvered  copper,  No.  14,  of  2.6  metres  to 
the  gramme.  They  first  employed  galvanic  electricity  by  employing 
small  sized  plates,  and  found  that  the  action  was  much  increased  by 
adding  to  their  number.  They  repeated  and  perfected  their  first  form 
of  telegraph  by  applying  the  phenomenon  of  magnetic  induction,  dis- 
covered by  Prof.  Faraday.  The  divers  movements  or  the  slow  oscil- 
lations of  magnetic  bars,  caused  by  the  passage  of  the  currents,  and 
observed  by  the  aid  of  a  glass,  furnished  to  Gauss  and  Weber  all  the 
signals  which  they  wished  in  corresponding,  but  the  number  of  signals 
which  could  be  transmitted  was  few,  and  the  time  occupied  by  each 
considerable. 

The  main  apparatus  was  a  magneto-electric  machine,  and  to  this 
Counsellor  Gauss  adapted  a  peculiar  arrangement,  by  which  the  direc- 
tion of  the  current  can  be  reversed  by  a  single  pressure  of  the  finger. 

Professor  Weber  had  a  delicate  apparatus  for  setting  off  an  alarm 
of  a  clock,  placed  at  the  side  of  the  magnet  in  the  physical  cabinet,  by 
means  of  the  current  conducted  from  the  observatory. 

The  telegraphing  apparatus  consisted  of  the  following  parts : — 

1.  The  apparatus  for  generating  the  galvanic  current. 

2.  The  apparatus  for  observing  the  given  signal. 

3.  The  apparatus  for  the  sudden  reversing  of  the  current,  or  the 
commutator  (pole  changer). 

In  the  column  A,  Fig.  21,  are  two  or  three  strong  magnet  bars  (each 
of  25  pounds)  united  in  one  strong  magnet — their  poles  of  the  same 

name  (like  poles)  are  visible  at  B.  Over 
these  bars  the  reel  E  is  placed  (of  course 
having  a  hole  for  the  bars  to  pass 
through),  and  around  its  external  sur- 
face a  copper  wire  (insulated  by  silk 
winding)  is  wound. 

At  the  first  arrangement,  Gauss  gave 
the  reel  1,050  coils;  by  a  late  arrange- 
ment, he  increases  the  number  of  coils 
to  3,537,  with  a  length  of  wire  of  about 
3,600  feet ;  and  still  later,  he  used  a  reel 
with  7,000  coils  with  a  length  of  wire 
of  more  than  7,000  feet. 

The  two  ends,  g  gf,  of  this  reel  E 

(which  on  account  of  their  inductive  action  are  called  inductors),  are  in 
connection  with  a  commutator  (pole  changer),  and  through  that  with 
the  two  principal  conducting  wires  of  the  telegraph.  If  the  inductor 


Fig.  21. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


59 


is  taken  by  the  two  handles  F  Ff,  and  suddenly  drawn  off  the  magnet 
bars  on  which  it  rests,  and  immediately,  without  turning  it  round, 
replaced  in  its  former  resting-place,  there  result  two  induction  cur- 
rents, one  immediately  after  the  other,  in  opposite  directions,  passing 
through  the  conducting  wire ;  the  duration  of  these  currents  is  very 
short.  Their  intensity  depends  upon  the  strength  of  the  united  mag- 
nets in  A,  upon  the  number  of  coils  in  the  inductor  E,  and  upon  the 
distance  these  coils  are  from  the  magnets. 
Fig.  22  represents  the  observing  apparatus. 

Fig.  22. 


Whilst  the  inductor  is  set  up  at  the  station  whence  the  signal  is  to 
be  telegraphed,  the  observing  apparatus  is  placed  at  the  station  where 
the  communication  is  to  be  received. 

It  consists  of  a  strong  multiplicator  H  H,  that  is  to  say,  of  a  copper 
frame,  around  which  an  insulated  wire  is  coiled.  The  two  ends  of  the 
wire  g  g  are  connected  with  the  two  chief  conducting  wires  coming 
from  the  other  station,  so  that  the  multiplicator  wire  forms  with  the 
wire  coiled  on  the  inductor  E,  Fig.  21,  a  single  closed  wire  circuit. 

At  first  the  multiplicator  had  270  coils  of  wire,  2,700  feet  long ;  in 
later  trials  it  had  610  coils  of  wire,  more  than  6,000  feet  long. 

In  the  coils  of  this  multiplicator  there  hangs  for  a  magnetic  needle 
a  magnetic  bar  M  M,  of  at  most  four  pounds  in  weight  (later,  25  Ib. 
magnetic  bars  were  used),  which  is  suspended  by  a  thread  easily  mov- 
able in  the  little  ship  L.  This  thread  consists  of  200  parallel  silk 
threads,  and  is  fastened  to  a  wooden  screw  p  p,  near  the  ceiling  of 
the  room,  by  which  it  can  be  raised  or  lowered. 

On  the  brass  rod  K,  which  passes  through  the  copper  frame  H  H, 
there  is  a  vertical  mirror  JV,  which  turns  with  the  magnet,  and  is  di- 
rected in  such  a  manner  towards  the  cipher  scale,  m  m,  fastened  at  the 


60 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


foot  of  the  stand  of  the  spy -glass  R,  that  the  image  of  the  parts  of  the 
scale  can  be  seen  in  the  mirror  through  the  spy-glass. 

The  apparatus  contrived  by  Gauss  for  the  rapid  change  of  the 
direction  of  the  current  was  somewhat  complicated ;  but  any  other 
simple  commutator  can  be  used  for  the  same  purpose. 

The  following  is  the  mode  of  using  this  telegraph  :  At  the  station 
from  which  a  communication  is  to  be  sent,  the  inductor  E,  Fig.  21,  is 
suddenly  drawn  off,  and  again,  without  turning  it  round,  thrust  down 
upon  the  magnet  pole  B,  by  which  means  two  induction  currents  of 
opposite  directions  are  passed  through  the  conducting  wire. 

By  means  of  the  first  current,  the  magnet  in  the  observing  appara- 
tus, Fig.  22,  at  the  other  station,  through  the  action  of  the  multiplica- 
tor's  coils,  is  made  to  diverge  in  a  determined  direction,  for  example, 
to  the  right.  By  means  of  the  second  current  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion it  is  immediately  stopped,  so  that  the  magnet  can  make  no  farther 
excursions,  but  only,  in  consequence  of  the  two  opposite  currents, 
makes  a  little  lively  vibration  to  one  side,  and  then  immediately  re- 
mains quite  still. 

These  small  motions  of  the  magnet  are  observed  through  the  spy- 
glass R,  Fig.  22,  in  the  mirror  N. 

In  a  state  of  rest,  the  image  of  the  null  point  of  the  scale,  m  m.,  is 
visible  through  the  spy-glass ;  by  the  motion  of  the  magnet  the  mirror 
is  also  moved,  and  reflects  to  the  spy-glass  another  part  of  the  scale. 
In  this  manner  the  smallest  motion  of  the  magnet  is  perceptible  by 
the  spy-glass. 

Accordingly  as  the  commutator  (which  is  directly  attached  to  the 
inductor)  is  fixed,  the  first  induction  current  passes  in  one  or  the  op- 
posite direction  through  the  conducting  wire — and  therefore,  by  a 
sudden  drawing  off  and  thrusting  down  of  the  reel  E,  Fig.  21,  a  mag- 
netic vibration  to  the  right  or  left  at  the  other  station  can  be  produced 
at  pleasure. 

By  an  ingenious  combination  of  several  magnetic  motions,  to  form 
a  signal,  Gauss  and  Weber  were  able  to  make  all  requisite  signs  (let- 
ters and  ciphers)  with  these  two  motions  (first  blows). 

The  following  are  the  alphabetical  signs  as  arranged : — 

I 

r  r 
r  I 
Ir 
II 

The  variations  of  the  magnetic  needle  signify  a  letter ;  I  denotes  a 
variation  to  the  left,  and  r  to  the  right,  and  by  the  combined  deflection 
of  the  needle,  words  and  sentences  may  be  transmitted. 

Experiments  of  Messrs.  Taquin  and  Ettieyhausen. 

Messrs.  Taquin  and  Ettieyhausen  made  experiments  with  a  tele- 
graphic line  over  two  streets  in  Vienna,  1836.  The  wires  passed 
through  the  air  and  under  the  ground  of  the  Botanic  Garden. — Poly- 
technic Centra.  Journal,  1830 ;  Vail  Electro-Magnetic  Telegraph,  p.  189. 


r  r  r  =  c  k 
r  r  1  =     d 
r  Ir  =f  v 
lrr=.  g 
III    =     h 
llr  =      1 

1  r  1      =  m 
rll      =   n 
r  r  r  r  =   p 
r  r  r  1  =    r 

r  r  1  r  =    s 
rl  r  r  =    t 

Ir  r  r  =  w 
rrll=   z 
r  1  r  I  =   o 
rllr=   1 
lrrl=  2 
Ir  Ir  =  3 

llrr  =  4 
lllr  =5 
llr  I  =6 
Ir  11  =  7 
rill  =8 

mi  =  9 

THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  61 


MOESE'S  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1832,  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  an  ingenious 
American  artist,  while  on  a  voyage  homeward  from  Europe,  conceived 
the  idea  of  an  electric  or  electro-chemical  telegraph,  and  devised  a 
system  of  signs  for  letters,  to  be  marked  by  the  breaking  and  closing 
of  the  electric  or  galvanic  current. 

Dr.  C.  T.  Jackson,  of  Boston,  a  fellow-passenger,  well  versed  in  the 
science  of  chemistry  and  electricity,  and  having  witnessed  numerous 
experiments  during  a  recent  visit  to  Paris,  afforded  him  considerable 
assistance. 

The  following  is  a  brief  account  of  the  methods  proposed : — 

1st.  That  electricity  might  be  made  visible  in  any  part  of  the  cir- 
cuit by  dividing  the  wire,  when  a  spark  would  be  seen  at  the  inter- 
section. 

2d.  That  it  could  be  made  to  perforate  paper  if  interposed  between 
the  disconnected  wires. 

3d.  Saline  compounds  might  be  decomposed,  so  as  to  produce  colors 
on  paper. 

The  2d  and  3d  projects  were  adopted  for  future  trial,  since  they 
would  furnish  permanent  records.  The  saline  substances  mentioned, 
were  the  acetate  and  carbonate  of  lead,  which,  when  decomposed  by 
the  galvanic  current,  left  black  marks  on  the  prepared  paper  ;  again, 
turmeric  paper,  moistened  in  a  solution  of  sulphate  of  soda,  left  brown 
marks  on  the  passage  of  the  current,  produced  by  the  disengaged  al- 
kali. Platina  points  were  also  proposed  to  effect  the  changes  in  color. 

Mr.  Morse  experimented  for  some  time  after  arriving  in  New  York, 
independent,  however,  of  Dr.  Jackson.  While  on  board  the  Sully, 
Dr.  Jackson  doubtless  materially  aided  Mr.  Morse  in  his  conception  of 
the  electric  telegraph,  though  they  do  not  appear  to  have  had  any  sub- 
sequent connection,  nor  was  the  instrument  they  devised  brought  into 
practical  use. 

From  a  careful  examination  of  all  the  evidence  given  by  the  pas- 
sengers on  board  of  the  packet  ship  Sully,  the  telegraph  devised  by 
Morse  and  Jackson  was  not  an  electro-magnetic  telegraph,  but  an  elec 
trie  or  electro-chemical  telegraph  (see  letters  of  Dr.  Jackson  to  Mr. 
Morse,  and  Mr.  Kendall's  pamphlet,  and  letters  of  J.  Francis  Fisher, 
Esq.,  of  Philadelphia).  Mr.  Morse  cast  some  type  in  1833,  but  from 
limited  circumstances  was  compelled  to  desist  from  farther  experi- 
ment, until  his  appointment  to  a  professorship  in  the  University  of 
New  York,  in  1835,  when  he  formed  the  annexed  mechanical  arrange- 
ment, which  is  interesting  from  the  fact,  that  it  is  the  basis  on  which 
a  long  series  of  improvements  have  been  made  to  bring  the  instru- 
ment to  its  present  unique  construction.  He  exhibited  it  in  January, 
1836,  to  Mr.  L.  D.  Gale,  a  colleague  professor  in  the  University  of 
high  scientific  attainment,  who  afterwards  joined  Mr.  Morse  in  his  en- 
terprise, and  made  some  useful  suggestions  for  its  improvement.  But 
becoming  satisfied  that  the  electro-magnetic  power  was  more  available 
for  telegraphic  purposes,  as  exemplified  by  the  experiments  of  Prof. 


62  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

Henry  and  his  own  trials,  he  directed  his  attention  to  that  agent.  Mr. 
Gale  gives  the  following  description  of  the  instrument,  in  his  evidence 
in  the  case  of  F.  0.  J.  Smith  versus  Hugh  Downing. 


Fig.  23. 


-^mnmnr~  n/w^rvww mr~ 

4-          5    B  8    2        O  4- 

"  A  train  of  clock  wheels  were  used  to  move  a  strip  of  paper,  one 
half  an  inch  in  breadth.  A,  B,  and  (7,  are  cylinders ;  the  paper  is 
unrolled  from  passing  over  the  cylinder  B  to  C,  where  it  is  connected 
to  the  clock-work  Z>,  moved  by  the  weight  E.  F  is  a  wooden  trian- 
gular-shaped pendulum,  suspended  from  the  pivot  /,  over  the  centre 
of  the  cylinder  B ;  its  vibrations  were  across  the  paper,  or  at  right 
angles  to  the  motion  of  the  latter.  Through  two  cross-pieces  in  its 
lower  part  was  fixed  a  pencil-case,  containing  a  pencil  moving  readily 
up  and  down,  but  kept  in  contact  with  the  paper  by  a  light  weight  g. 

An  electro-magnet  was  fixed  on  the  shelf  h,  which  projected  from 
the  frame  XX. '•  this  magnet  attracted  an  armature  affixed  to  the  pen- 
dulum. One  of  the  conductors  of  the  magnet  helix  passed  to  the 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  63 

single  plate  galvanic  battery  7J  while  the  other  joined  the  cup  of  mer- 
cury at  the  port  rule  K.  The  other  pole  of  the  battery  was  connected 
by  a  wire  to  the  other  cup  of  mercury  J.  The  lower  table  repre- 
sents a  port  rule ;  it  consists  of  a  rude  frame  containing  two  cylinders 
L  Lj  two  inches  in  diameter  and  two  inqhes  long,  one  turned  by  a 
crank,  and  that  turning  the  other  by  a  band  one  and  a  half  inches  in. 
width. 

"  M  is  a  rule  or  composing  stick,  made  of  two  small  thin  rules,  two 
feet  long,  placed  side  by  side,  separated  sufficiently  far  to  form  a  trough 
for  the  type ;  the  tops  or  cogs  of  the  latter  are  seen  rising  above  the 
top  of  the  rule  M.  A  lever  0  0  is  suspended  from  the  united  top  of 
two  standards  that  rise  from  the  sides  of  the  long  frame  of  the  port 
rule,  on  one  end  of  which  is  a  fork  of  copper  wires  that  plunges,  when 
the  lever  is  depressed,  into  the  two  mercury  cups  K  and  J.  A  weight 
is  attached  to  the  other  extremity  to  keep  it  down,  and  beneath  this  is 
a  tooth,  similar  to  the  keys  of  a  hand-organ.  There  were  eleven  types 
one-eighth  of  an  inch  thick,  having  from  one  to  five  projections  called 
cogs,  save  one  that  was  used  for  a  space.  The  first  five  numbers  con- 
sisted from  one  to  five  cogs  respectively,  followed  by  a  space,  while 
the  second  five  were  the  same,  only  having  a  long  space  double  that 
of  the  first. 

"  If,  as  an  example,  it  was  desired  to  send  the  number  456,  the  types 
4,  5  and  6,  with  a  space  to  separate  them  from  the  successive  ones, 
were  set  up  in  the  port  rule  M,  which  was  placed  on  the  bands  of  the 
port  rule  and  sent  forward  by  turning  the  crank  ;  the  cogs  of  the  type 
operating  the  lever  0  0,  broke  and  closed  the  circuit  at  the  battery 
/;  this  being  done,  the  magnet  h  attracted  the  pendulum  F,  and  moved 
the  pencil  g  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch ;  the  pencil  being  in  contact 
with  the  paper  while  it  was  moving,  a  continuous  straight  line  was 
marked  on  it  if  the  pendulum  was  stationary  either  at  one  or  the  other 
limit  of  its  motion;  but,  when  attracted  by  the  magnetic  force,  it 
marked  a  Y-shaped  point,  as  seen  in  the  drawing ;  the  points  were 
marked  on  the  moving  paper  as  there  shown  by  the  successive  break- 
ings and  closings  of  the  circuits  through  the  cogs  of  the  type ;  the 
extremities  of  the  V-shaped  marks  were  recognized  for  the  figures  by 
their  number." 

A  dictionary  was  prepared,  in  which  words  were  arranged  in  a 
manner  that  the  numbers  would  represent  them. 

Mr.  Morse  found  himself  unable  to  make  use  of  his  instrument  for 
great  distances,  from  the  resistance  to,  and  dissipation  of,  the  electrical 
current  along  the  conductors.  To  overcome  the  difficulty,  he  adopted, 
in  the  spring  of  1837,  a  receiving  magnet  and  a  relay  or  repeating 
circuit. 

The  one  used  by  Mr.  Morse  is  represented  in  the  accompanying 
diagram.  By  means  of  the  receiving  magnet,  the  current  of  one 
battery  was  employed  to  set  oft'  that  of  a  second,  the  second  a  third, 
and  so  on,  the  last  circuit  being  as  strong  as  the  first.  1  is  a  battery  at 
one  terminus  of  one  line  of  conductors  representing  twenty  miles  in 
length ;  from  one  pole  of  which  the  conductor  proceeds  to  the  helix 
of  an  electro-magnet  at  the  other  terminus  (the  helix  forming  part  of 


64  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

Fig.  24. 


the  conductor) ;  from  thence  it  returns  to  the  battery  and  terminates 
in  a  mercury  cup  0.  From  the  contiguous  mercury  cup  p,  a  wire 
proceeds  to  the  other  pole  of  the  battery. 

When  the  fork  of  the  lever  0  unites  the  two  cups  of  mercury,  the 
circuit  is  complete,  and  the  magnet  b  is  charged,  and  attracts  the 
armature  of  the  lever  d,  which  connects  the  circuit  of  the  battery  2  in 
the  same  manner,  which  again  in  turn  Operates  the  lever  e,  twenty 
miles  farther,  and  so  on. 

Publicity  was  given  to  it  through  the  columns  of  the  New  York 
Observer,  on  the  15th  of  April,  1837,  in  consequence  of  an  announce- 
ment that  Messrs.  Grour  and  Servell  had  produced  an  instrument  of 
miraculous  capacity,  to  transmit  information,  which  was,  however, 
only  an  example  of  the  visual  telegraph ;  it  was  likewise  noticed  in 
the  New  York  Journal  of  Commerce  of  April  27,  1837. 

In  September  of  the  same  year,  an  exhibition  of  the  instrument 
working  through  1,700  feet  of  wire,  was  given  at  the  New  York 
University,  to  numerous  visitors,  among  whom  were  some  eminent 
scientific  gentlemen.  An  account  of  this  was  given  in  the  New  York 
Journal  of  Commerce  of  that  date. 

The  ability  of  the  instrument  was  so  skilfully  displayed,  that 
Messrs.  George  and  Alfred  Yail  were  induced  to  "interest  themselves 
in  the  invention,  and  furnish  Prof.  Morse  with  the  means,  material, 
and  labor  for  an  experiment  on  a  larger  scale."  At  this  time  opera- 
tions were  commenced  at  the  Speedwell  Iron  Works,  near  Morristown, 
New  Jersey. 

.  On  the  10th  of  March,  1837,  the  Hon.  Levi  Woodbury,  then  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury,  issued  a  circular,  requesting  information  in  regard 
to  the  propriety  of  establishing  a  system  of  Telegraphs  for  the  United 
States.  Prof.  Morse  sent  three  replies  to  this  circular,  containing  an 
account  of  his  invention,  its  proposed  advantages,  and  probable  ex- 
pense, with  a  description  of  the  kind  of  conductors  required ;  two  of 
these  letters,  dated  respectively  September  27,  1837,  and  November 
28,  1837,  were  included  in  a  report  of  the  Secretary  to  the  House  of 
Representatives,  on  the  6th  of  December,  1837.  In  this  report,  Mr. 
Woodbury  gave  a  favorable  view  to  the  subject  of  telegraphing. 

Some  extracts  from  Prof.  Morse's  letters  will  show  how  far  real 
progress  has  exceeded  his  expectations  at  that  time,  and  the  modifica- 
tions that  have  since  been  made. 

September  27,  1837. — "The  principal  expense  will  be  the  first  cost 
of  the  wire,  or  metallic  conductors  (consisting  of  four  lengths),  and 
the  securing  them  against  injury.  The  cost  of  single  copper  wire  ^g 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  65 

of  an  inch  in  diameter  (and  it  should  not  be  of  less  dimensions),  for 
400  miles  was  recently  estimated  in  Scotland  to  be  £1,000  sterling, 
including  the  soldering  of  the  wires  together,  that  is,  $6  per  mile  for 
one  wire." 

"Iron  tubes  inclosing  the  wires,  and  filled  in  with  pitch  and  resin, 
would  probably  be  the  most  eligible  mode  of  securing  the  conductors 
from  injury,  while  at  the  same  time  it  would  be  the  most  costly." 
"  Iron  tubes  of  \\  inch  diameter,  I  learn,  can  be  obtained  at  Baltimore 
at  28  cents  per  foot.  The  trenching  will  not  be  more  than  three  cents 
for  two  feet,  or  about  $75  per  mile."  "If  the  circuit  is  laid  through 
the  air,  the  first  cost  will  doubtless  be  much  lessened."  "  Stout  spars 
of  some  thirty  feet  in  height,  well  planted  in  the  ground,  and  placed 
about  350  feet  apart,  would  in  this  case  be  required,  along  the  tops  of 
which  the  circuit  might  be  stretched.  Fifteen  such  spars  would  be 
wanted  to  a  mile.  This  mode  would  be  as  cheap,  probably,  as  any 
other,  unless  the  laying  of  the  circuit  in  the  water  should  be  found 
the  most  eligible."  "  I  presume  that  five  words  can  be  transmitted  in 
a  minute;  for,  with  the  imperfect  machine  I  now  use,  I  have  recorded 
at  that  rate,  at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile." 

November  28,  1837. — "  We  have  procured  several  miles  of  wire,  and 
I  am  happy  to  announce  to  you  that  our  success  has,  thus  far,  been 
complete.  At  the  distance  of  five  miles,  with  a  common  Cruikshank's 
battery  of  87  plates  (4  by  3  J  inches  each  plate),  the  marking  was  as 
perfect  on  the  register  as  in  the  first  instance  of  half  a  mile.  We 
have  recently  added  five  miles  more,  making  in  all  ten  miles,  with  the 
same  result,  and  we  have  no  doubt  of  its  effecting  a  similar  result  at 
any  distance" 

The  instrument  was  partially  described  in  Prof.  Silliman's  Journal 
of  October,  1837,  which  was  afterwards  copied  in  the  November 
number  of  the  Journal  of  the  Franklin  Institute  of  the  same  year,  and 
the  London  Mechanics'  Magazine  of  February,  1838. 

A  model,  inclosing  a  circuit  of  ten  miles  of  insulated  wire  wound 
upon  two  reels,  was  finished  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1837,  and 
intended  for  an  exhibition  before  Congress.  This  was  soon  after 
shown  in  the  hall  of  the  Franklin  Institute  of  this  city,  where  it  was 
subjected  to  the  inspection  of  a  committee  appointed  to  examine  it ; 
its  operation  was  eminently  satisfactory  to  them,  and  they  did  it  the 
honor  to  give  the  subjoined  favorable  report: — 

"  The  Committee  on  Science  and  the  Arts,  constituted  by  the  Frank- 
lin Institute  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  for  the  promotion  of  the  Me- 
chanic Arts,  to  whom  was  referred,  for  an  examination,  an  electro- 
magnetic telegraph,  invented  by  Prof.  F.  B.  Morse,  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  report :  That  this  instrument  was  exhibited  to  them  in  the  Hall 
of  this  Institute,  and  every  opportunity  given  by  Mr.  Morse  and  his 
associate,  Mr.  Alfred  Yail,  to  examine  it  carefully,  and  to  judge  of  its 
operation. 

"  As  exhibited  to  us,  it  was  very  satisfactory.     The  power  given  to 

the  magnet  at  the  register,  through  a  length  of  wire  of  ten  miles,  was 

abundantly  sufficient  for  the  movements  required  to  make  the  signals. 

The  communication  of  this  power  was  instantaneous.     The  time  re- 

5 


66  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

quired  to  make  the  signals  was  as  short  at  least  as  that  necessary  in 
the  ordinary  telegraphs.  It  appears  to  the  Committee,  therefore,  that 
the  possibility  of  using  telegraphs  on  this  plan,  in  actual  practice,  is 
not  to  be  doubted,  though  difficulties  may  be  anticipated  which  could 
not  be  tested  with  the  trial  made  with  the  model. 

"  One  of  these  relates  to  the  insulation  and  protection  of  the  wires, 
which  are  to  pass  over  many  miles  of  distance,  to  form  the  circuits 
between  the  stations.  Mr.  Morse  has  proposed  several  plans ;  the  last 
being  to  cover  the  wires  with  cotton  thread,  then  varnish  them  thickly 
with  gum  elastic,  and  inclose  the  whole  in  leaden  tubes.  More  prac- 
tical and  economical  means  will  probably  be  devised ;  but  the  fact  is 
not  to  be  concealed,  that  any  effectual  plan  must  be  very  expensive. 
Doubts  have  been  raised  as  to  the  distance  to  which  the  current  of  an 
ordinary  battery  can  be  made  efficient ;  but  the  Committee  think  no 
serious  difficulty  is  to  be  anticipated  on  this  point.  *  *  *  ~x~ 

"  An  experiment  is  said  to  have  been  made  on  the  Birmingham  and 
Manchester  railroad,  through  a  circuit  of  thirty  miles  in  length. 

"  It  may  be  proper  to  state,  that  the  idea  of  using  electro-magnetism 
for  telegraphic  purposes  has  presented  itself  to  several  different  indi- 
viduals, and  that  it  may  be  difficult  to  settle  among  them  the  question 
of  originality. 

"  The  celebrated  Gauss  has  a  telegraph  of  this  kind  in  actual  opera- 
tion, for  communicating  signals  between  the  University  of  Grottingen 
and  his  magnetic  observatory  in  its  vicinity.  Mr.  Wheatstone,  of 
London,  has  been  for  some  time  also  engaged  in  experiments  on  an 
electro-magnetic  telegraph.  But  the  plan  of  Prof.  Morse  is,  so  far  as 
the  Committee  are  informed,  entirely  different  from  those  devised  by 
other  individuals,  all  of  which  act  by  giving  different  directions  to  mag- 
netic needles,  and  would  therefore  require  several  circuits  of  wires  be- 
tween all  the  stations. 

"  In  conclusion,  the  Committee  beg  to  state  their  high  appreciation 
of  Prof.  Morse's  telegraph,  and  the  hope  that  means  may  be  given  him 
to  subject  it  to  the  test  of  an  actual  experiment  made  between  stations 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  each  other.  The  advantages  which  this 
telegraph  would  present,  if  successful,  over  every  kind  heretofore  used, 
make  it  worthy  of  the  patronage  of  the  government.  These  are,  that 
the  stations  may  be  at  a  distance  asunder  far  exceeding  that  to  which 
other  telegraphs  are  limited,  and  that  the  signals  may  be  given  at  night, 
and  in  rains,  snow,  and  fogs,  when  other  telegraphs  fail. 

"  By  order  of  the  Committee. 

"WILLIAM  HAMILTON,  Actuary. 

"PHILADELPHIA,  February  8,  1838." 

It  was  subsequently  taken  to  Washington,  and  kept  in  successful 
operation  for  several  months  in  the  room  of  the  House  Committee  of 
Commerce,  where  it  was  visited  by  multitudes  of  people. 

The  examining  committee  were  propitious  to  it,  and  in  a  warm  and 
ardent  report  made  on  the  6th  of  April,  1838,  urgently  advised  that  it 
should  be  subjected  to  an  adequate  trial. 

Prof.  Morse  sent  in  a  caveat  to  secure  his  invention  in  October,  1837, 
filed  his  specifications,  and  made  application  for  a  patent  in  April,  1838, 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  ,  67 

but  withdrew  them  afterward,  that  he  might  be  enabled  to  obtain  pa- 
tents in  the  European  countries.  Hon.  *F.  0.  J.  Smith,  a  member  of 
Congress,  from  Maine,  was  so  interested  in  it,  and  sure  of  success,  that 
he  left  his  seat  there,  and  joined  Prof.  Morse  in  a  trip  to  Europe,  in 
May,  1888.  From  the  peculiar  construction  of  the  English  patent  laws 
(which  require  that  the  instrument  should  not  have  been  published), 
he  was  unable  to  obtain  a  patent  there,  and  though  he  secured  one  in 
France,  it  afforded  him  no  profit,  as  his  funds  were  too  limited  to  bring 
it  into  operation  within  two  years — the  time  specified  in  their  patent 
regulations. 

Though  he  failed  at  that  time  to  remunerate  himself  as  a  momentary 
speculator,  the  instrument  attracted  the  attention  of  scientific  men  in 
both  countries,  who  accorded  him  much  merit  for  the  skilfulness  of  the 
invention. 

It  was  put  in  operation  at  a  meeting  of  the  French  Academy  of 
Sciences,  September  10,  1838,  and  a  description  of  it  published  in 
their  weekly  journal,  the  Comptes  Rendus.  On  account  of  the  disor- 
dered financial  condition  of  the  country,  and  his  own  restricted  means, 
no  farther  advancement  was  made  after  his  return,  until  June,  1840, 
when  he  secured  his  first  patent,  which  was  given  on  the  specifications 
of  April,  1838,  for  the  rude  instrument  already  described,  including  a 
second  electro -magnet  used  to  give  an  alarm,  without  the  improvement 
up  to  the  former  date. 

Unable  to  proceed  farther  on  a  more  extensive  scale  of  experiment, 
he  procured  the  support  of  prominent  scientific  men  in  a  petition  to 
Congress  during  the  December  session  of  1842. 

In  responderice  to  his  petition,  Congress  appropriated  $30,000  for 
the  purpose  of  testing  its  practical  application.  Thus  enabled  to  pro- 
secute his  favorite  theme  with  a  freer  element  and  more  liberal  spirit 
of  investigation,  he  had  the  great  gratification  to  exhibit  to  the  Ameri- 
can people  his  invention,  working  in  an  eminently  successful  manner, 
for  a  distance  of  forty  miles,  between  the  cities  of  Baltimore  and 
Washington,  in  the  month  of  June,  1844. 

Prof.  Morse  has  obtained  for  his  instrument  several  distinct  patents ; 
the  first  was  dated  June  20,  1840 ;  there  were  many  important  modi- 
fications introduced,  such  as  a  signal  lever  key  substituted  for  the 
port  rule,  and  a  lever  in  the  register  in  place  of  the  pendulum,  when 
it  was  exhibited  before  Congress,  in  1838 ;  this  was  reissued  January 
15,  1846.  A  second  patent  was  taken  out  on  the  llth  of  April,  1846, 
containing  the  above  alterations,  with  the  addition  of  a  local  circuit 
and  register,  receiving  magnet  and  adjuster,  self-regulating  break,  the 
metal  pen  points,  and  grooved  rollers  for  them  to  work  in. 

The  device  of  the  local  circuit  in  the  Morse  Telegraph  was  founded 
in  part  upon  the  experiments  of  Prof.  Henry,  who  had,  previous  to 
this,  "opened  the  circuit  of  a  large  quantity  magnet  at  Princeton, 
when  loaded  with  several  hundred  pounds,  by  attracting  upwards  a 
small  piece  of  movable  wire,  by  means  of  a  small  intensity  magnet, 
connected  with  a  long  wire  circuit  and  an  intensity  battery." 

The  reissued  patent  of  January  15,  1846,  and  the  patent  of  April 
11,  1846,  were  both  reissued  on  the  13th  of  June,  1848,  and  another 


68  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

patent,  containing  improvements  in  the  electric  telegraph,  was  taken 
out  on  the  1st  of  May,  1849: 

The  line  between  Baltimore  and  Washington  is  the  only  one  con- 
structed under  governmental  patronage,  the  remainder  having  been 
projected  by  private  enterprise ;  the  patentee  being  allowed  one-half 
the  stock  for  the  use  of  the  patent,  as  his  share  of  the  investment ; 
the  capital  invested  in  them  up  to  January  1,  1850,  was  nearly 
$400,000,  exclusive  of  the  patent  right,  upon  which  Prof.  Morse,  up 
to  that  time,  had  received  some  $30,000.  The  machine  at  present  in 
use  consists  of  three  main  portions,  the  transmitting  and  receiving 
apparatuses  with  the  connecting  circuit. 

The  spring  lever  key,  as  at  present  used  in  the  Morse  office,  has 
received  various  modifications.  In  Fig.  25,  we  have  a  view  of  its  pre- 
sent improved  form ;  it  consists  of  a 
nicely  balanced  lever,  supported  on 
standards  raised  from  a  small  block 
of  mahogany ;  thumb  screws  are  fixed 
to  each  extremity  of  it,  that  on  the 
longer  arm  being  used  for  the  opera- 
tor to  play  upon,  and  the  shorter  one 
to  adjust  the  distance  of  the  connect- 
ing surfaces;  on  the  short  arm  is 

attached  a  spring  to  keep  those  surfaces  apart  when  not  pressed  to- 
gether by  the  operator ;  the  connecting  surfaces  called  the  hammer  and 
the  anvil,  the  former  on  the  lower  surface  of  the  long  arm  of  the  lever, 
the  latter  on  the  mahogany  support,  are  faced  with  platinum ;  they  are 
respectively  connected  with  the  opposite  poles  of  the  galvanic  circuit, 
and  by  their  contact  or  separation,  the  circuit  is  united  or  broken. 

If  this  key  is  at  an  intermediate  station,  by  means  of  the  screw  on 
the  short  arm  the  surfaces  are  kept  together ;  the  circuit  may  be  closed 
when  not  in  use ;  this  permits  communications  to  be  sent  through  the 
office  between  stations  on  each  side  of  it,  or  rather  it  keeps  the  main 
circuit  continuous;  when  operating,  if  they  are  merely  touched,  a 
point  is  made  at  the  receiving  station ;  if  kept  together  any  time,  a  line 
is  produced  whose  length  is  governed  by  the  period  of  contact.  The 
circuit  connections  are  beneath,  one  below  the  anvil,  the  other  under 
the  screw. 

The  receiving  magnet  is  an  intensity  one,  surrounded  by  a  helix  of 

•   very  fine  wire,  3,000  feet  or 

Fig-  26.  more   in  length,  having  the 

horseshoe  form,  and  fixed  in 
a  horizontal  position.  The 
main  circuit  passes  through 
this  helix  unbroken  to  the 
next  station  ;  an  armature  is 
fixed  to  a  vertical  movable 
standard,  opposite  the  poles 
of  this  magnet,  in  such  a  man- 
ner that,  by  means  of  a  spring 
and  adjusting  screws,  it  cannot  come  in  actual  contact  with  the  mag- 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  69 

net,  nor  yet  is  it  so  far  removed  as  to  be  beyond  its  influence ;  the 
object  of  this  delicate  suspension,  is  that  the  armature  may  be  ap- 
proached to  or  withdrawn  from  the  magnet's  influence,  according  to 
the  intensity  of  the  current ;  much  of  the  operator's  skill  depends  on 
the  management  of  this  adjuster,  as  the  varying  electrical  agencies  of 
the  atmosphere  and  generating  forces  of  the  batteries  are  constantly 
operating  to  increase  or  diminish  its  intensity. 

The  support  of  this  armature  forms  part  of  the  local  circuit,  the 
horizontal  rod  above  another  part,  and  that  circuit  is  closed,  by  the 
attraction  of  this  armature  to  the  poles  of  the  magnet,  through  the 
horizontal  rod  above,  terminating  in  a  platinum  face,  opposite  another 
one  fixed  on  the  horizontal  support  above  the  magnet ;  the  connections 
of  the  local  circuit  are  through  screws  seen  on  the  right ;  when  the 
current  flows  through  the  main  circuit,  the  receiving  magnet  attracts 
the  armature,  and  thus  closes  the  local  circuit,  the  only  place  where  it 
is  open  being  above  the  horizontal  bar  over  the  helix  ;  the  local  cir- 
cuit is  confined  entirely  to  the  office  where  it  belongs,  passing  through 
the  local  battery  and  the  helix  of  the  register  magnet,  being  distinct 
from  the  main  ;  the  registering  apparatus  has,  or  should  have,  a  quan- 
tity magnet  of  a  horseshoe  form,  fixed  vertically,  the  open  extremity 
upward ;  the  object  being  to  indent  impressions  upon  paper  ;  force, 
rather  than  delicacy,  is  requisite.  The  figure  from  Davis's  Manual  of 
Magnetism  represents  the  mechanical  action  of  the  instrument.  Above 

Fie.  27. 


the  poles  of  the  magnet  is  an  armature,  attached  to  one  end  of  a  mova- 
ble lever,  which  has  on  the  upper  surface  of  the  other  end  a  metal 
point,  which  fits  into  a  groove  of  a  roller  above  it ;  the  passage  of  the 
galvanic  current  making  the  magnet  attract  and  depress  the  armature, 
raises  the  points  at  the  other  extremity,  and  makes  an  impression  on 
the  paper  in  dots  or  lines,  according  to  the  duration  of  the  current ;  a 
spring  is  used  here  to  withdraw  the  armature  from  the  magnet  after 
the  cessation  of  the  current,  which  must  be  so  arranged  as  not  to 
carry  the  armature  too  far  from  the  magnet,  or  let  the  points  too  deep 
into  the  groove  ;  a  lead  pencil  was  first  used,  afterwards  a  pen  with  an 
ink  reservoir,  which  was  laid  aside  for  the  hard  steel  points  ;  the  im- 
pressions on  the  paper  resemble  the  raised  printing  for  the  blind.  The 
connection  with  the  local  battery  is  made  through  the  screw  caps  on 
the  right  hand. 

"  Fig.  28  represents  the  arrangement  and  relations  of  the  magnets, 
batteries,  and  circuits :  E  M  representing  the  small  magnet,  m  c  the 
main  circuit  of  indefinite  extent,  M  B  the  distant  battery,  K  the  key 


70  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

which  breaks  and  closes  this  extended  circuit ;  I  c  and  L  B  represent 
the  local  circuit  and  battery,  M  the  helices  of  the  register  magnet  in- 
cluded in  the  circuit,  which,  as  the  standards  SS  are  metallic,  is  broken 


Fig.  28. 


only  at  the  points  a  b.  Now,  the  least  possible  space  between  these 
points  effectually  interrupts  the  current,  and  as  they  are  covered  with 
platinum,  a  very  slight  contact  is  sufficient  to  establish  the  connection. 
The  little  instrument  is  so  delicately  adjustable,  that  often,  when  the 
breath  would  stop  the  vibrations  of  the  lever,  the  circuit  is  broken  and 
closed  with  certainty  and  regularity ;  this  is  also  shown  on  a  larger 
scale  in  Fig.  29." 

Many  forms  of  this  instrument  have  been  devised,  some  with  the 
levers  vertical ;  in  others,  the  magnet  was  attached  at  one  end,  and 
the  style  at  the  other  end  of  a  shaft  working  through  a  horizontal 
tube. 

The  figure  (29)  represents  the  whole  combination  of  the  registering 
apparatus  and  its  connections  with  the  main  and  local  circuits,  together 
with  the  distant  and  local  operating  keys.  The  register  occupies  the 
centre  of  the  picture,  being  supported  on  two  standards :  T  is  a  spool 
carrying  a  roll  of  paper  ;  this  paper  is  prepared  by  manufacturers  for 
this  especial  use,  by  winding  it  into  large  rolls,  and  dividing  it  into 
smaller  rolls  of  one  inch  or  more  in  width  by  a  knife,  while  it  is  revolv- 
ing in  a  lathe ;  from  this  spool  the  paper  is  drawn  between  the  two 
rollers  X  and  Y,  which  are  turned  by  means  of  the  weight  U,  moving 
the  clock-work  above  it ;  D  is  the  register  magnet,  E  the  lever,  having 
the  armature  at^y  and  its  axis  or  fulcrum  to  the  left  of  it ;  also  at  the 
extreme  left,  the  style,  playing  in  a  groove  of  the  lower  surface  of  the 
wheel  Y ;  S,  on  the  right,  is  a  screw  to  limit  the  motion  of  the  style,  a 
distance  of  one-eighth  of  an  inch  being  usually  allowed ;  it  also  contains 
a  spiral  spring  below,  to  separate  the  armature  and  magnet;  the  paper 
is  dealt  off  steadily  from  the  spool,  and  a  momentum  is  prevented  by 
springs  fixed  on  the  axis  of  the  spool  between  the  latter  and  its  stand- 
ards ;  formerly  a  break  was  suspended  from  the  lower  surface  of  the 
lever  upon  some  of  the  clock  wheels  below,  to  permit  and  arrest  their 
motion,  but  this  is  now  supplied  by  the  small  jack  Y  setting  into  the 
cogs  of  the  wheel  W,  the  swiftest  one  in  the  train ;  this  the  operator 
pushes  down  immediately  on  the  reception  of  a  signal,  and  the  weight 
U  sets  the  whole  in  motion,  drawing  the  paper  off  the  spool  between 
the  rollers  X  and  Y,  the  style  impressing  on  it  the  required  characters, 
and  it  rolls  finally  into  the  vessel  on  the  left,  ready  to  be  read  at  the 
convenience  of  the  receiver. 

In  the  earlier  forms,  an  alarm  was  appended  to  call  the  attendant's 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


71 


72  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

attention,  but  this  is  thrown  aside,  as  the  click  of  the  register  answers 
the  purpose ;  some  experienced  operators  become  so  accustomed  to 
this  click  that  they  can  declare  the  message  without  referring  to  the 
character  made  by  the  style ;  thus  it  becomes  phonetic,  and  operators 
conversing  at  vast  distances,  can  make  the  little  instrument,  by  its 
varied  action,  slow,  rapid,  or  impetuous,  give  expression  to  the  different 
feelings  of  the  mind ;  each  office  has  its  own  peculiar  signal,  known  to 
all  the  rest  on  the  line,  and  an  answer  is  expected  as  soon  as  it  is 
given. 

The  machine  is  wound  up  by  a  key  fixed  to  the  axis  of  the  largest 
wheel  on  the  left ;  some  guides  are  used  to  conduct  the  paper  beneath 
the  style  with  such  regularity  that  several  communications  may  be 
printed  parallel  to  each  other  on  the  same  strip. 

An  improvement  in  the  Morse  Telegraph  Eegister,  made  by  James 
J.  Clark,  of  this  city,  consists  of  the  register  keeping  itself  constantly 
wound  up,  so  that  the  operator  is  not  troubled  in  using  the  winding 
key.  It  also  secures  a  uniformity  of  motion  throughout  any  number 
of  messages.  The  winding  motion  is  obtained  by  an  extra  magnet 
being  placed  in  the  register,  and  the  closing  and  breaking  of  the  cir- 
cuit causes  a  lever  to  vibrate.  This  lever  has  a  click  at  its  end,  acting 
in  a  small  steel  ratchet-wheel,  which  causes  the  ratchet-wheel  to  revolve 
and  transmit  its  motion  by  wheel  gearing  to  the  shaft  of  a  spring  con- 
tained in  a  box,  like  a  watch.  A  spring  is  used  for  a  motive  power 
to  the  train  of  wheels,  instead  of  a  weight,  as  in  the  ordinary  register. 
There  is  also  an  arrangement  by  which  it  ceases  winding  when  the 
spring  is  wound  to  the  power  necessary  to  revolve  the  train  of  wheels. 
This  is  effected  by  two  points  coming  in  contact  and  establishing  a 
cross-current,  which  cuts  off  the  current  from  the  winding  magnet, 
until,  by  its  running,  it  causes  the  two  points  to  separate,  when  the 
current  flows  through  the  magnet  again,  and  the  winding  is  continued. 
The  instrument  is  beautifully  finished,  and  reflects  credit  on  the 
maker. 

The  peculiar  form  of  magnet  used  in  the  registering  department,  is 
seen  in  the  diagram  No.  2,  to  the  right  of  the  register.  A  A,  the  cir- 
cuit connections ;  C  C,  lower  extremities  of  the  soft  iron  bars,  which 
are  joined  together;  H  H,  reels  of  the  helices  around  the  iron;  F  F, 
the  upper  ends  of  the  soft  iron,  having  opposite  polarities ;  P,  the 
/  .  point  ol  connection  between  the  wires  of  the  two  helices ;  E,  the  arma- 
PM*  ture.(J3a  above,  represents  the  operating  key  of  a  distant  office,  situated 
on  the  main  line,  with  the  attendant  in  the  act  of  transmitting  a  com- 
munication ;  0,  the  main  line  coming  from  the  distance ;  A,  the  battery 
on  that  line.  Groves's  battery  is  mostly  in  use,  30  cups  of  which  are 
necessary  in  a  space  of  150  miles ;  they  may  be  kept  in  one  body,  but 
it  is  better  to  distribute  them  at  intervals  along  the  line  ;  they  require 
cleansing  and  replenishing  about  once  a  fortnight.  After  passing 
through  the  key,  the  main  circuit  follows  the  course  of  the  arrow  to 
the  receiving  magnet  C  on  the  right,  traverses  the  helix  of  that,  and 
issues  again  from  it,  continuing  its  course  to  the  right,  to  the  next  sta- 
tion, and  so  it  might  go  on  indefinitely,  or  around  the  world ;  N"  is 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  73 

the  local  operating  key  through  which  the  line  passes  in  the  same 
manner  as  at  B ;  this  is  the  entire  relation  of  the  main  circuit  to  an 
office ;  it  makes  the  receiving  magnet  close  the  local  circuit,  and  it 
will  do  it  not  only  at  one  station,  but  at  all  on  the  same  line,  and  at 
the  same  time ;  so  that  an  operator  in  Philadelphia  can  transmit  his 
message  to  St.  Louis,  and  drop  it  at  all  the  intermediate  stations  at  one 
and  the  same  moment ;  this  has  actually  been  performed. 

Only  one  wire  is  now  used  on  the  main  line,  the  earth  affording  the 
return  circuit ;  No.  3  shows  it  very  well ;  one  end  of  the  line  may  be 
supposed  at  Philadelphia,  the  other  at  New  York ;  M  M,  receiving 
magnets  of  the  two  stations ;  K  K,  the  operating  keys  respectively ;  P 
and  N,  the  positive  and  negative  poles  of  a  battery  on  the  line  ;  C  C, 
plates  where  the  wires  terminate  in  the  ground :  the  connection  of  the 
wires  to  a  gas-pipe  will  answer  every  purpose ;  the  arrows  represent 
the  direction  of  the  current ;  Gr,  that  portion  of  the  ground  forming 
the  circuit.  By  having  two  wires,  &&e  connected  respectively  to  the 
keys  and  magnets  of  the  different  offices,  communications  may  be  sent 
both  ways  at  the  same  time,  but  only  one  current  can  traverse  the 
same  line  at  once. 

The  local  circuit  Z  is  short,  simple,  and  effective,  being  closed  by 
the  receiving  magnet  C ;  the  current  starts  from  the  local  battery  K, 
consisting  usually  of  from  two  to  three  cups,  that  must  be  cleansed 
every  morning  for  efficient  operation,  runs  through  the  helix  D,  back 
to  the  receiving  magnet  in  the  course  of  the  arrow  to  the  local  battery ; 
this  causes  the  style  to  raise  and  make  an  impression  on  the  paper ; 
the  whole  operation  then  is  very  simple  ;  the  key  depressed  at  a  dis- 
tant city  or  station,  B,  causes  the  receiving  magnet  C,  at  Philadelphia, 
to  close  the  local  circuit :  the  iron  of  the  helix  D  is  made  instantly 
magnetic,  and  the  style  goes  against  the  paper,  and  stays  there  as  long 
as  the  key  is  kept  down  at  B.  A  simple  contact  makes  a  dot  (.),  a 
longer  time  a  line  ( — ).  Considerable  experience  is  requisite  to  make 
a  good  operator,  either  to  transmit  or  read  messages ;  some,  however, 
become  quite  proficient  after  three  months'  tuition;  the  interval  be- 
tween the  times  of  contact  is  regarded  as  well  as  the  letter,  for  by  its 
length,  letters,  words  and  sentences,  are  distinguished  from  each  other ; 
the  adjoined  table  contains  the  Morse  telegraphic  characters. 

A J S Numerals.     9 

B K T  —  1 0   

C  --     -  L  U 2 

D M V 3  

E  -  N  —  -  W 4  

F 0-     -  X 5 

G P Y 6  

H Q Z----  7 

I--  R  -     --  &  -    ...  8  

If  an  operator  at  Philadelphia  wishes  to  send  a  communication  to 
Baltimore,  he  first  breaks  the  main  circuit  by  opening  the  operating 
key  at  his  station.  All  the  receiving  magnets  in  that  circuit  cease  to 
attract  their  armatures,  the  spring  draws  them  away  from  the  magnets, 
and  thus  breaks  all  the  short  office  circuits.  The  Philadelphia  ope- 


7'i  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

rator  then  makes  the  signal  for  Baltimore,  by  tapping  on  his  key  the 
proper  number  of  times;  this  produces  a  clicking  of  the  registers, 
which  is  heard  and  understood  in  all  the  offices  on  the  line,  though 
none  but  the  Baltimore  operator  pays  any  regard  to  it. 

Then  the  Baltimore  operator  opens  his  transmitting  or  operating 
key,  and  breaks  the  main  circuit  in  another  place,  so  that  the  Phila- 
delphia operator  cannot  operate  his  main  circuit,  which  the  latter  dis- 
covers by  the  silence  of  his  own  receiving  magnet  when  he  operates 
his  key;  he  then  closes  his  key  to  permit  the  operator  at  Baltimore  to 
return  an  answer. 

The  Baltimore  operator  closes  his  key,  sets  his  clock-work  in 
motion,  and  returns  word  that  his  Philadelphia  correspondent  may 
send  his  communication,  which  the  latter  hears,  and  goes  to  work  ac- 
cprdingly. 

If  the  Philadelphia  operator  wishes  to  telegraph  his  message  to 
several  or  all  the  stations  on  the  line,  he  makes  in  succession  all  the 
signals  of  those  offices,  and  awaits  their  replies ;  after  receiving  them 
all,  he  commences  to  operate,  and  the  communication  is  received  by 
every  one  of  them  at  the  same  moment. 

The  daily  performance  of  this  machine  is  to  transmit  from  8,000  to 
9,000  letters  per  hour.  There  are  a  number  of  attendants  needed  about 
an  office  transacting  much  business,  each  one  of  whom  has  his  respect- 
ive department ;  they  are  divided  into  "  copyists,  book-keepers,  bat- 
tery-keepers, messengers,  line  inspectors  and  repairers."  The  usual 
charge  of  transmission  is  25  cts.  for  ten  words  sent  one  hundred 
miles ;  the  messages  vary  in  value  from  10  cts.  to  $100.  The  amount 
of  business  which  a  well  conducted  office  can  perform,  and  the  net 
proceeds  arising  therefrom,  may  well  excite  our  surprise ;  a  single 
office  in  this  country  with  two  wires,  one  500,  the  other  200  miles  in 
length,  after  spending  three  hours  in  the  transmission  of  public  news, 
telegraphed,  in  a  single  day,  450  private  messages  averaging  25  words 
each,  besides  the  address,  sixty  of  which  were  sent  in  rotation,  without 
a  word  of  repetition. 

The  public  journals,  however,  often  contain  notices  of  errors  com- 
mitted by  the  operators  on  these  lines,  w]aich,  from  their  importance, 
have  been  the  cause  of  considerable  complaint  among  business  and 
newsmen.  This  is  variously  attributed  to  careless  attendants,  disar- 
rangement of  the  circuits,  or  the  alphabetic  combination,  which  renders 
the  best  receivers  and  copyists  liable  to  mistake ;  this  is  not  all,  for 
instances  can  be  cited  where  messages  sent  immediately,  as  the  clerks 
promised  to  do,  would  have  answered  the  desired  end,  but  being  de- 
layed three  hours,  were  utterly  valueless. 

Several  important  things  are  necessary  to  the  successful  operation 
of  the  instrument ;  skilful  manipulators,  good  batteries  and  machines, 
and  more  than  all,  thorough  insulation  of  the  conductors.  The  latter 
can  never  be  completely  accomplished,  as  the  best  non-conductors  will 
conduct  in  a  slight  degree.  Copper  wire,  first  employed,  has,  on  ac- 
count of  expense,  been  laid  aside  for  iron,  of  which  300  Ibs.  are  re- 
quired to  a  mile ;  the  method  of  insulation  consists  in  winding  them 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


75 


Fig.  30. 


around  glass  knobs,  passing  them  through  caps  of  the  same  material, 
or  inclosing  them  throughout  with  gutta  percha. 

"The  figure  shows  the  methods  of  attaching  them  to  glass  caps, 
by  supporting  the  wire  from  their 
side,  or  resting  them  in  a  groove 
on  the  top ;  these  caps  fit  over 
wooden  or  iron  pins,  which  are 
fastened  on  the  top  of  horizontal 
crossbars,  or  driven  into  the  side 
of  the  post ;  two  blocks  of  glass  in 
the  form  of  a  parallelepiped,  and 
dovetailed  together  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  let  a  wire,  without 
any  other  fastening,  slide  through 
a  central  opening,  the  glass  being 
surrounded  and  protected  by 
wood;  the  most  recent  method 
consists  of  glass  blocks,  fitted  in 
cast-iron  caps,  and  supported  on 
the  peg  by  a  heavy  glass  tube  (3). 
The  caps,  of  whatever  form,  are 

either  upon  crossbars,  or  supported  by  iron  staples  driven  into  the 
post." 

Notwithstanding  these  precautions,  by  the  contact  of  wires  blown 
about  by  winds,  moisture,  &c.,  connections  are  made  through  the 
ground  or  otherwise,  and  a  short  circuit  is  formed,  instead  of  going  the 
entire  route  of  the  line,  or  part  of  the  current,  of  greatly  diminished 
intensity,  pursues  the  latter  course. 

The  following  method  of  ascertaining  the  existence  of  a  break,  or 
forming  connections  with  different  offices  at  will,  is  well  described  by 
Mr.  Charles  T.  Chester,  of  New  York,  in  Sillimaris  Journal,  vol.  v.  2d 
series.  It  has  been  found  that  the  intermediate  offices  on  a  main  line 
are  of  great  utility  in  determining  the  situation  of  the  breach. 

"  If  the  circuit  is  broken  on  one  side,  a  current  is  at  once  obtained 
from  the  battery  of  the  unbroken  side,  and  the  accident  found  is  re- 
paired. The  diagram  shows  how  to  apply  this  test,  and  the  method  of 
dividing  the  long  line  into  sections.  The  black  dots,  A  B  C  D,  in 
Fig.  32,  represent  brass  terminations  of  conductors,  sunk  on  a  level 
with  the  surface  of  the  operator's  table ;  a  metallic  button,  Fig.  31, 
plays  over  their  surface.  This  button  connects  each  brass 
stud  with  its  opposite,  and  a  change  in  its  position  changes 
the  direction  and  channel  of  the  current  at  pleasure. 
Thus,  the  intermediate  operator  wishes  to  break  and  close 
the  through  circuit  (this  is  synonymous  with  main  cir- 
cuit), he  turns  his  button,  bringing  B  in  contact  with  D ; 
the  course  of  the  current  can  be  easily  traced.  But  again, 
cutting  off  his  left  hand  neighbor,  he  wishes  to  converse  with  his  right, 
the  button  changed  so  as  to  connect  A  with  C,  the  current  passes  di- 
rectly to  the  ground  through  his  instruments.  Supposing  a  binding 


Fig.  81. 


76  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

screw  at  S,  the  left  or  right-hand  wire  may  thus  be  brought  in  con- 
nection with  the  ground.  The  buttons  1,  2,  and  3,  are  simply  used  as 
convenient  duplicate  keys,  or  circuit  closers,  when  the  operator  is 
receiving." 

Fig.  32. 


When  the  line  is  found  deranged  at  an  intermediate  office,  by  the 
evidence  of  a  current  unnaturally  strong  or  weak,  the  impression  is 
that  the  wire  is  broken  at  one  or  both  sides  of  the  office.  Supposing 
the  wire  continuous  from  one  end  of  the  line  to  the  other,  and  a  bat- 
tery at  each,  the  current  passes  through  the  intermediate  magnet  with- 
out interruption,  and  the  circuit  established  is  termed  a  "through 
circuit."  When  a  derangement  is  perceived,  the  intermediate  operator 
alters  the  through  circuit,  and  by  connecting  with  the  ground,  makes 
two  short  circuits. 

Several  methods  have  been  devised  to  obviate  the  disastrous  conse- 
quences that  sometimes  result  from  violent  electrical  action  during 
thunderstorms,  such  as  the  melting  or  breaking  of  wires,  total  de- 
struction of  long  distances  of  the  circuit,  injury  to  office  furniture  or  the 
operators  connected  with  it ;  among  the  most  important  of  which  are 
those  that  combine  the  readiest  communication  with  the  ground  to 
convey  away  the  superabundant  fluid ;  one  is  to  have  the  circuit  closer 
of  a  receiving  magnet,  employed  for  this  sole  purpose,  pass  into  the 
earth ;  another  is  the  metallic  connection  with  the  surface  of  a  brass 
ball,  surrounded  by  a  ring  situated  in  and  forming  part  of  the  circuit, 
from  the  inner  circumference  of  which  minute  metallic  points  project 
towards,  but  do  not  quite  touch  the  ball ;  both  of  these,  however,  are 
inefficient  at  times. 

Professor  Morse  has  deservedly  received  the  highest  approbations  of 
the  American  people  for  the  invention  that  not  only  calls  forth  won- 
der at  its  accomplishments,  but  has  proved  itself  an  invaluable  agent 
in  political  economy.  Excepting  efficient  and  economical  batteries, 
most  of  the  discoveries  in  this  department  of  science  had  been  made, 
which  were  essential  to  a  proper  foundation  of  his  invention ;  some 
hand  was  necessary  to  elicit  the  remaining  facts,  combine  and  give 
them  a  mechanical  arrangement  and  application,  and  then  to  thrust  it 
before  a  distrustful  public,  to  solicit  the  attention  and  patronage  of  the 
government  for  the  proper  attestation  of  its  merits. 

It  was  novel  to  the  American  people ;  no  one  had  projected  the 
thing  here  successfully,  though  many  had  thought  of,  and  some  tried 
it ;  through  Professor  Morse's  indefatigable  perseverance,  the  adjuvant 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  77 

resources  of  science  were  united  in  the  form  of  utility;  though  de- 
pendent for  most  of  his  information  upon  others,  he  had  the  confidence 
in  its  final  success,  to  master  opposing  obstacles,  and  bring  to  his  aid 
those  who  had  labored  honorably  and  prosperously  in  the  progress  of 
knowledge. 

Professor  Morse  has  received  numerous  testimonials  of  the  high  ap- 
preciation in  which  his  form  of  telegraph  is  held  in  Europe,  one  of  the 
most  recent  of  which  was  "  the  State  medal"  from  the  King  of  Wur- 
temberg,  with  the  information  that  his  form  of  telegraph  will  be 
adopted  in  that  kingdom.  The  Grand  Sultan  of  Turkey,  also,  did 
Professor  Morse  the  same  honor,  followed  by  the  King  of  Prussia, 
with  the  adoption  of  his  form  of  telegraph  for  great  distances. 

And  their  scientific  men  have  not  withheld  their  high  estimation  of 
its  simplicity  and  utility.  Professor  Steinheil,  the  Administrator-in- 
chief  of  the  Austrian  telegraphs,  although  himself  the  inventor  of  an 
electric  telegraph,  which  has  procured  for  him  a  world- wide  and  well- 
deserved  fame,  with  a  magnanimity  which  does  him  high  honor,  has 
given  his  opinion  in  favor  of  adopting  the  American  system  in  Ger- 
many. 

The  following  is  a  translation  of  the  official  act : — 

"  Extract  from  the  Protocol  of  the  Convention  of  Deputies  from  the 
German  Governments  which  met  at  Vienna  in  the  month  of  October, 
1851,  for  the  establishment  of  a  German  Austrian  Telegraphic  Union, 
&c.:— 

"  The  Governments  of  this  Union  give  their  mutual  assurance  to 
bring  into  operation,  at  the  latest,  on  the  1st  of  July,  1852,  the  direct 
transmission  of  telegraphic  communications  between  the  central  sta- 
tions of  the  respective  governments,  so  that  transfers  upon  intermedi- 
ate stations  will  be  no  longer  required,  whenever  the  lines  are  not 
previously  occupied,  so  that  each  of  the  central  stations  can  enter  into 
communication  with  every  other. 

"  To  accomplish  this,  all  the  Governments  of  the  Telegraph  Union 
adopt  for  the  International  Correspondence  upon  each  line,  for  the 
present,  Morse's  Telegraph,  with  receiving  magnets,  registers,  and 
uniform  alphabet." 

Morse  Telegraph   Convention. 

A  Telegraph  Convention  assembled  at  Washington  on  the  5th  day 
of  March,  1853,  to  confer  together  for  the  purpose  of  establishing 
regulations  among  the  various  Morse  Telegraph  Companies,  so  as  to 
increase  the  farther  usefulness  of  this  means  of  transmission,  and  to 
perfect  the  system  to  its  greatest  capacity  of  good. 

The  Committee  on  Eesolutions  reported  on  the  following  points, 
which  were  adopted  in  detail  by  the  Convention : — 

First.  All  words  in  the  body  of  a  message  should  be  counted.  Pro- 
per names,  such  as  the  names  of  persons,  steamers,  cities,  &c.,  shall  be 
counted  as  many  words  as  there  are  capitals  used. 

Second.  Better  means  recommended  to  secure  answers  to  messages 


78  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

sent,  and  to  give  priority  to  messages  of  inquiry  between  offices  on 
business. 

Third.  A  reciprocal  rule  for  refunding  on  lost  messages,  making  the 
line  at  fault  responsible. 

Fourth.  To  protect  the  telegraph  from  abuse  by  unworthy  and  un- 
qualified operators,  requiring  suitable  evidence  of  integrity  and  capa- 
bility. 

Fifth.  A  uniform  system  of  numbers  and  signal  letters. 

Sixth.  The  recommendation  to  decline  adopting  new  letters  in  the 
Morse  alphabet,  but  agreed  to  the  transposition  of  the  letters  "  C"  and 
"  K,"  requiring  the  dash,  dot  and  dash  to  be  used  as  "  C,"  and  the 
spaced  letter  "  C"  to  be  used  in  future  as  "K." 

Seventh.  Kefusal  to  adopt  any  periodical  for  an  official  organ  of  the 
Convention  or  Telegraph. 

Eighth.  Kefusal  to  adopt  the  general  term  of  National  Telegraph, 
considering  it  as  a  name  applied  to  associated  lines. 

Ninth.  The  extension  of  the  patent  of  1840  was  considered  the  legi- 
timate business  of  the  patentee. 

Tenth.  Declined  to  reduce  the  tariff  of  charges  by  an  increase  of 
words. 

Eleventh.  The  appointment  of  a  Committee  of  Correspondence,  to 
serve  until  the  next  Convention,  to  attend  to  such  matters  relative  to  the 
general  interest  of  Telegraph  Companies  as  may  be  deemed  necessary. 

Twelfth.  No  message  to  be  transmitted  by  any  line  unless  prepaid, 
except  answers  to  messages,  checked  "  answer  paid." 

Thirteenth.  Eecommending  the  abolition  of  the  practice  of  sending 
free  messages,  except  for  those  actually  engaged  in  the  business,  and 
on  telegraph  business. 

Fourteenth.  Against  the  employment  of  persons  without  good  testi- 
monials of  integrity,  &c. 

Fifteenth.  The  Convention  agreed  to  meet  annually,  and  in  Wash- 
ington, March,  1854. 

Sixteenth.  Eecommending  offices  in  same  cities  to  unite,  and  have 
one  office,  common  to  all. 

Much  important  business  was  transacted  with  great  unanimity. 

The  Convention  in  a  body  called  and  paid  their  respects  to  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  at  the  Executive  mansion,  and  were 
courteously  received  by  him.  The  members  composing  the  Conven- 
tion represented  about  four-fifths  of  the  Telegraph  lines  of  America. 

The  Convention  adjourned  sine  die  at  7  o'clock  P.  M. 

'Wheatstone  and  Cooke's  Needle  Telegraph. 

In  1834,  Professor  "Wheatstone  published  a  beautiful  series  of  ex- 
periments on  the  velocity  of  electricity,  which  I  noticed  in  the  first  of 
these  lectures  on  the  Telegraph.  This  seems  to  have  had  an  influence 
in  directing  his  attention  to  the  subject  of  the  Electric  Telegraph. 
During  the  month  of  June,  1836,  in  a  course  of  lectures  delivered  at 
King's  College,  London,  he  repeated  his  experiments  on  the  velocity 
of  electricity,  but  with  an  insulated  circuit  of  copper  wire,  the  length 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


79 


of  which  was  now  increased  to  nearly  four  miles ;  the  thickness  of  the 
wire  was  TJ5  of  an  inch. 

When  machine  electricity  was  employed,  an  electrometer  placed  on 
any  point  of  the  circuit  diverged,  and  wherever  the  continuity  of  the 
circuit  was  broken,  very  bright  sparks  were  visible.  With  a  voltaic 
battery,  or  with  a  magneto-electric  machine,  water  was  decomposed, 
and  the  needle  of  a  galvanometer  deflected  in  the  middle  of  the  circuit. 
Prof.  Wheatstone  gave  a  sketch  of  the  means  by  which  he  proposed 
converting  his  apparatus  into  an  electrical  telegraph,  so  that,  by  the 
aid  of  a  few  finger  stops,  it  would  instantaneously  and  distinctly  con- 
vey communications  between  the  most  distant  points.  The  apparatus, 
as  it  is  at  present  constructed,  is  capable  of  conveying  thirty  simple 
signals,  which,  combined  in  various  manners,  will  be  fully  sufficient  for 
the  purposes  of  telegraphic  communication. — Mag.  Pop.  Sci.  1836. 

This  was  Prof.  Wheatstone's  first  telegraph,  and,  having  matured  his 
plans,  he  took  out  a  patent  on  the  l^th  of  December,  1887,  which  was 
sealed  on  the  previous  12th  of  June,  1837,  in  conjunction  with  Mr. 
W.  F.  Cooke,  who  had  devoted  much  of  his  time  and  attention  to  the 
practical  application  of  the  Electric  Telegraph. 

The  principle  on  which  this  telegraph  depended,  was  that  of  com- 
bining several  peculiarly  constructed  galvanometer  needles.  It  was 
an  application  of  the  famous  discovery  of  Prof.  (Ersted  of  the  deflecting 
influence  of  an  electric  current  upon  a  magnetic  needle,  which  I  have 
already  explained  in  a  previous  lecture. 

A  signal  board  was  employed,  having  five  vertical  galvanometers 
with  double  needles,  the  lower  ends  of  each  being  slightly  the  heaviest, 
so  as  to  insure  at  all  times  a  vertical  position,  except  when  deflected 
by  the  current.  From  the  ends  of  these 
needles  lines  were  drawn,  both  above  and 
below,  as  in  Fig.  33,  and  at  the  points 
where  these  lines  intersected,  letters  and 
-numbers  were  placed.  When  an  electric 
current  was  transmitted  so  as  to  deflect  at 
the  same  time  two  of  the  needles,  they 
indicated,  by  their  convergence,  one  or 
other  of  the  letters  marked  on  the  signal 
board.  Thus,  if  the  first  and  fifth  needles 
converged  above,  they  pointed  to  A ;  if 
below,  to  Y;  or  if  the  first  and  fourth 
converged  above,  they  indicated  B,  and 
so  on. 

The  signal  boards  were  placed  at  either 
end  of  the  line  of  telegraph,  having  a  bat  • 
tery  and  keys  so  arranged  as  to  render  it 
easy  to  deflect  at  pleasure  any  of  the  five 
galvanometer  needles  at  the  distant  station; 
the  two  sets  of  galvanometers  being  con- 
nected by  six  wires,  one  for  each  separate 
needle,  and  one  as  a  return  common  to  them  all.  The  keys  used  to 


Fig.  33. 


80  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

connect  these  wires  with  the  battery  were  very  simple,  and  at  the  same 
time  perfectly  efficient. 

The  arrangement  consisted  of  five  copper  bars,  thin  enough  to  be 

elastic,  fastened  to  a  crosspiece  of 

Fig.  34.  wood,  as  at  A,  Fig.  34,  and  con- 

nected with  the  five  wires  of  the 
telegraph,  whilst  their  other  ends 
pressed  slightly  (but  so  as  to  be 
in  good  metallic  contact)  against 
a  crosspiece  of  copper,  B.  The 
terminal  wires  of  the  voltaic  bat- 
tery were  attached  to  two  small 

bars  of  metal,  C  D,  and  in  the  five  longer  bars,  just  where  they  crossed 
the  battery  bars  C  D,  there  was  a  row  of  small  metal  pins,  terminated 
with  little  ivory  knobs.  When  it  was  desired  to  deflect  any  of  the 
needles  in  the  signal  boards,  all  that  was  necessary  was  to  press  the 
ivory  knobs  above  those  bars,  in  connection  with  the  needles  to  be 
deflected ;  the  slight  pressure,  by  bending  down  the  bars,  insulated 
them  for  the  time  by  breaking  the  contact  at  B  ;  and  the  metal  pins, 
by  coming  in  contact  with  the  crossbars  C  and  D,  became  connected 
at  once  with  the  battery.  By  this  simple  arrangement  the  keys,  though 
always  ready  for  immediate  use  in  sending  a  signal,  were  not  any  ob- 
stacle to  receiving  one,  as  the  bar  B  always  completed  the  circuit  of  all 
the  wires,  except  at  the  moment  of  using  the  telegraph,  and  then,  by 
the  contrivance  just  described,  it  was  thrown  out  of  connection.  The 
wires  of  this  first  telegraph  were  insulated  in  tubes  by  means  of  a 
mixture  of  cotton  and  India  rubber ;  then  the  prepared  wires  are  all 
passed  with  certain  precaution  through  iron  pipes,  which  on  some 
parts  of  the  line  were  buried  beneath  the  ground,  and  in  others  raised 
above  it.  It  was  afterwards  elevated  on  wooden  posts,  as  the  moisture 
affected  the  wires,  and  destroyed  the  insulation.  The  battery  employed 
by  them  was  that  of  a  vessel  of  copper,  with  plates  of  zinc,  and  acidu* 
lated  water. 

In  order  that  the  telegraph  could  be  practically  used,  it  was  essential 
that  some  simple  means  should  be  employed  to  call  the  attention  of 
the  operator  when  a  message  was  about  to  be  sent,  as  the  movement 
of  the  needles  made  no  sound. 

In  order  to  overcome  the  difficulty  presented  by  the  very  small 
amount  of  power  which  would  be  transmitted  to  a  long  distance,  and 
which  was  not  sufficient  to  make  an  electro-magnet  of  any  power,  and 
thus  discharge  an  alarum,  he  placed  a  second  battery  at  the  distant 
station,  having  wires  connected  with  a  powerful  electro-magnet  at- 
tached to  an  alarum,  or  arranged  so  as  to  strike  a  bell  as  soon  as  the 
battery  was  brought  into  operation.  But,  as  the  circuit  was  broken, 
the  battery,  though  charged  with  acid,  and  therefore  ready  to  act, 
could  not  exert  its  magnetizing  power  on  the  electro-magnet  unless 
the  circuit  was  completed.  The  current  of  electricity  from  the  distant 
station  from  whence  the  intelligence  was  to  be  transmitted,  though  not 
powerful  enough  to  make  an  electro-magnet,  was  abundantly  powerful 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGXETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


81 


enough  to  complete  the  circuit  of  the  second  battery,  thus  waiting  to 
be  called  into  action.  This  was  effected  by  a  small  piece  of  copper 
wire  attached  to  a  crosspiece  fastened  to  a  delicately  suspended  verti- 
cal galvanometer;  when  the  latter  was  deflected  by  even  a  feeble 
electric  current,  the  copper  wire,  by  having  its  ends  plunged  into  two 
cups  of  mercury,  completed  the  circuit  of  the  secondary  battery,  caus- 
ing the  electro-magnet  to  attract  its  keeper,  and  thus  let  off  the  alarum 
to  ring  the  bell.  The  general  form  of  the  arrangement  is  represented 
in  Fig.  35,  which  I  have  taken  from  a  published  lecture  by  Professor 
E.  Solly,  of  London,  on  the  telegraph,  which  drawing  proves  correct 
on  comparing  it  with  the  original  in  the  patent. 

Fig.  35. 


E  F  are  the  wires  conveying  the  electric  current  from  the  distant 
station ;  D,  the  vertical  galvanometer  deflected  by  its  influence ;  A,  the 
secondary  battery  thus  brought  into  action,  and  B,  the  electro-magnet 
which  is  made  to  act  on  the  bell  C. 

The  line  of  telegraph  upon  the  Great  Western  Eailway  was  finished 
in  July,  1839,  and  had  been  in  operation  above  seven  or  eight  months. 
Thirty  signals  may  be  conveniently  made  in  a  minute.  According  to 
Professor  Wheatstone,  on  his  examination  before  a  Parliamentary 
Committee  on  Railways  in  1840,  he  states :  "  I  have  been  confining  the 
attention  of  the  Committee  to  the  telegraph  now  working  on  the  Great 
Western  Railway,  but  having  lately  occupied  myself  in  carrying  into 
effect  numerous  improvements  which  have  suggested  themselves  to  rne, 
I  have,  conjointly  with  Wm.  Cooke,  who  has  turned  his  attention 
greatly  to  the  same  subject,  obtained  a  new  patent  for  a  telegraphic 
arrangement,  which  I  think  will  present  very  great  advantages  over 
that  which  at  present  exists.  This  new  apparatus  requires  only  a 
single  pair  of  wires  to  effect  all  which  the  present  one  does  with  five, 
so  that  three  independent  telegraphs  may  be  immediately  placed  on 
the  line  of  the  Great  Western ;  it  presents  in  the  same  place  all  the 
letters  of  the  alphabet  according  to  any  order  of  succession,  and  the 
apparatus  is  so  extremely  simple,  that  any  person  without  any  pre- 
vious acquaintance  with  it  can  send  a  communication  and  read  the 
answer." 

Mr.  Saunders,  the  secretary  of  the  Great  Western  Railway,  states 
6 


82 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


KKK 


the  expenses  of  constructing  the  electrical  telegraph  on  the  line  of  that 
railway  to  have  been  from  <£250  to  £800  a  mile ;  whereas,  the  old 
form  of  telegraph  in  use  between  London  and  Portsmouth,  independent 
of  the  original  outlay,  costs  about  £3,300  a  year;  and  the  lines  of  tele- 
graphic communication  to  Plymouth,  to  Yarmouth,  and  to  Deal,  were 
abandoned  in  the  year  1816,  on  account  of  the  expenditure  for  their 
maintenance. —  Civ.  Eng.  and  Arch.  Journ. 

According  to  the  Tyne  Mercury,  the  electric  telegraph  on  the  South- 
western Eailway,  from  London  to  Grosport,  cost  about  ,£24,000. 

Professor  Wheatstone  specified  a  second  patent  for  improvements, 
in  the  name  of  Mr.  Cooke,  Oct.  18,  1838,  still  making  use  of  the  deflec- 
tion of  needles  as  the  signals  employed,  and  using  only  two  wires  in- 
stead of  five,  and  a  combina- 

Fig.  36.  tion  of  the  two  elementary 

instruments.  It  has  two 
pointers,  each  worked  by  its 
distinct  handle,  and  gave 
eight  single  signals,  and  a  suf- 
ficient number  of  compound 
ones  to  admit  of  the  twenty- 
six  letters  of  the  alphabet 
being  used.  By  farther  con- 
ventional signs,  those  letters 
are  made  to  represent  figures ; 
and  by  blending  both  sys- 
tems, a  mixed  sentence,  con- 
sisting of  passages  from  a 
code,  spelling  and  figures, 
could  be  telegraphed  to- 
gether. The  general  form  of 
the  dial  is  shown  in  Fig.  36. 
Behind  this  dial  a  magnet  is 
fixed  on  the  same  axis  as  the 
needle,  so  that  both  move 
together.  A  portion  of  the 

conducting  wire  is  coiled  many  times  longitudinally  round  a  frame  in 
which-the  magnet  moves  ;  by  this  contrivance,  the  magnet  is  subjected 
to  the  multiplied  deflecting  force  of  the  voltaic  current.  The  motion 
of  this  magnet  is  limited  by  fixed  stops  placed  at  both  sides.  The 
simple  signals  are  given  by  the  movement  of  the  needles,  either  ,singly 
or  combined.  Thus  the  left-hand  needle  moved  to  the  left  gives  E,  to 
the  right  I ;  the  right-hand  needle  moving  to  left  gives  O,  and  to  right 
gives  IT.  If  both  converge  upward  at  the  same  time,  their  combined 
indication  is  A,  and  if  they  converge  downwards  it  is  +  .  If  the 
pointers  are  made  to  rest  parallel  to  each  other  in  one  direction,  W  is 
meant,  and  in  ^he  other  direction  they  indicate  Y.  The  consonants 
most  in  use  are  given  by  two  movements  of  the  needle,  and  those 
rarely  required,  such  as  J,  Q,  X,  Z,  by  three  movements.  C  and  U  are 
generally  used  for  K  and  Y,  but  not  necessarily. 

Whetstone's  telegraph  cost   per  mile  £100.     (Meek.  Mag.  1838.) 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


83 


This  telegraph,  which  is  the  useful  and  scientific  invention  of  Mr.  Cooke 
and  Professor  Wheatstone,  has  now  been  in  operation  for  nearly  twelve 
months ;  all  the  wires  are  inclosed  in  hollow  tubes,  not  more  than  about 
an  inch  in  diameter. — London  Mining  Journal  for  1840. 

The  American  patent  for  Electro-magnetic  Telegraph,  Charles  Wheat- 
stone  and  Wm.  Fothergill  Cooke.  Patent  for  fourteen  years  from  12th 
June,  1837,  that  being  the  date  of  the  English  patent. — Franklin  lust. 
Journ.  3d  series,  vol.  ii.  p.  120,  August,  1840. 

The  American  patent  was  of  no  benefit  to  the  patentees,  as  it  was 
never  practically  employed  in  the  United  States,  Prof.  Morse's  instru- 
ment being  the  chief  one  in  use  from  1844  to  1846. 

The  defects  in  the  practical  working  of  his  first  and  second  telegraph 
led  Prof.  Wheatstone  to  devise  a  new  form  of  telegraph,  called  by  him 
an  electro-magnetic  telegraph,  in  January,  1840.  The  principles  em- 
ployed in  this  new  instrument  are  well  exhibited  in  Fig.  37  (DanieWs 
Elements).  "  It  consisted  essentially  of  an  electro- magnet  surrounded 
with  a  long  and  fine  wire  A,  and  a  keep- 
er of  soft  iron  B,  prevented  from  coming 
in  complete  contact  with  poles  of  the 
magnet,  but  so  near  as  to  be  within  reach 
of  the  attractive  power  of  the  magnet 
when  the  latter  is  under  the  influence  of 
the  current. 

The  motion  of  the  keeper  was  made 
use  of  in  various  ways  to  qommunicate 
signals.  In  Fig,  37,  it  is  represented  as 
acting  by  a  species  of  clock  escapement 
on  a  small  ratchet-wheel,  and  thus  caus- 
ing the  rotation  of  a  light  disk  of  paper 
or  mica,  E,  on  the  circumference  of  which 
the  letters  of  the  alphabet,  or  other  sig- 
nals, are  marked.  In  the  diagram,  part 
of  this  disk  is  represented,  which  resem- 
bles very  much  the  signal  dial  of  Mr. 
Ronalds,  and  is  on  the  same  plan.  It  is 
in  part  cut  away  to  show  the  position  of 
the  ratchet-wheel  behind.  The  ratchet- 
wheel  resembles  one  invented  by  Bur- 
gengeiger,  a  German,  to  which  he  had 
attached  an  electric  clock,  as  described 
in  the  Morgan  Blatter,  of  September  23,  1815,  and  quoted  by  Mr. 
Ronalds  in  his  work  on  electricity,  published  in  1825.  Every  time 
that  an  electric  current  is  transmitted  from  a  distance  by  the  wires  C 
D,  and  they  may  be  made  to  succeed  each  other  with  great  rapidit}^ 
the  disk  is  advanced  one  tooth  of  the  wheel,  and  consequently  another 
letter ;  and  when  the  electric  current  is  interrupted,  the  keeper  being 
no  longer  attracted,  is  drawn  up  again  to  its  original  position  by  a 
spring,  and  the  disk  advanced  another  letter.  The  whole  instrument 
is  inclosed  in  a  case,  having  an  aperture  in  front,  which  only  permits 
one  letter  at  a  time  to  be  seen.  In  using  this  telegraph,  the  instrument 


84  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

is  always  placed  at  the  commencement  with  the  sign  of  a  cross  only 
visible,  which  is  before  the  letter  A,  on  the  round  disk ;  if  it  is  then 
wished  to  indicate  the  letter  H,  it  is  necessary  to  transmit  four  sepa- 
rate electric  currents,  in  order  to  attract  the  keeper  four  times,  and  so 
cause  the  disk  to  move  round  eight  divisions,  the  letter  H  will  be  ex- 
hibited. The  transmission  of  the  currents  is  managed  by  a  little  in- 
strument represented  in  Fig.  38.  It  consists  of  a  horizontal  brass  wheel, 
divided  and  marked  on  its  upper  surface  like  the  disk  of  the  telegraph, 
with  which  it  perfectly  corresponds ;  the  circumference  of  this  wheel  is 

Fig.  38. 
i 

X 


cut  away  in  twelve  places,  and  filled  with  small  pieces  of  ivory.  A 
metallic  spring  &,  pressing  against  the  circumference  of  the  wheel,  is 
alternately  in  contact  with  the  metal  of  the  brass  wheel  and  the  ivory 
pieces  when  the  wheel  is  turned  round.  When  the  instrument  is  not  in 
use,  the  cross  at  the  commencement  of  the  alphabet  is  always  placed 
opposite  to  the  stop  d,  as  in  this  position  alone  the  metallic  spring  c,  by 
pressing  on  a  small  piece  of  metal  connected  with  the  stand  a,  cuts  off 
the  connection  with  the  battery,  and  therefore  leaves  the  telegraph  in  a 
fit  state  to  receive  signals  from  the  distant  station.  As  soon  as  the 
wheel  is  moved  from  this  position,  the  battery  is  brought  into  connec- 
tion, and  as  it  is  gradually  turned  round,  the  required  number  of  inter- 
rupted currents  is  transmitted  to  the  magnet.  In  the  circumference  of 
the  brass  wheel  a  number  of  iron  pins  are  inserted,  one  corresponding 
to  each  letter,  and,  therefore,  by  taking  hold  of  the  pin  corresponding 
to  the  letter  we  wish  to  indicate  at  the  distant  station,  and  rapidly 
turning  the  wheel  till  stopped  by  the  crosspiece  at  c?,  we  cause  the 
letter  disk  of  the  telegraph  to  revolve  the  required  amount. 

The  preceding  is  one  of  the  simplest  forms  of  this  telegraph,  but  the 
power  is  applied  in  many  ways  ;  thus,  in  place  of  moving  the  letter 
disk  it  may  remain  stationary,  whilst  a  light  hand  or  index  only  is 
caused  to  revolve ;  or,  in  place  of  an  electro -magnet  being  used,  the 
mere  deflection  of  a  vertical  galvanometer  may  be  employed  for  the 
same  purpose.  But  as  it  was  found  that  a  telegraph  of  this  kind, 
though  excellent  for  short  distances,  was  not  so  suitable  for  long  ones, 
a  modification  was  adopted,  in  which  the  power  required  was  greatly 
diminished,  and  the  delicacy  of  the  telegraph  much  increased.  In  this  v 
form  a  powerful  clock  movement,  acted  on  by  a  strong  spring,  was 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


85 


employed  to  rotate  the  disk  or  index,  the  attraction  of  the  keeper 
being  only  used  to  regulate  the  escapement,  every  current  releasing  a 
single  tooth,  and  so  allowing  the  clock  movement  to  advance  the  disk 
one  letter.  He  employed  a  magneto-electric  machine  instead  of  the 
battery,  also  doing  away  with  the  "  communicator."  Fig.  39  shows  a 
vertical  representation  of  one  of  the  machines  used  for  this  purpose, 
consisting  of  a  permanent  magnet  A,  an  armature  of  soft  iron  B, 
surrounded  with  coils  of  copper  wire,  and  connected  with  the  binding 
screws  E  F.  The  armature  can  be  made  to  revolve  by  the  action  of 
the  larger  wheel  C,  on  the  pinion  D,  which  is  thus  caused  to  revolve 
just  so  many  times  by  one  revolution  of  the  wheel  C,  as  will  give  rise 
to  the  number  of  currents  requisite  to  turn  the  telegraph  disk  once 

Fig.  39. 


round.  The  whole  of  this  instrument  is  inclosed  in  a  box,  and  the 
axis  of  C,  which  rises  through  the  top  of  the  box,  carries  a  solid  brass 
wheel  Gr,  having  handles  corresponding  to  the  letters  of  the  alphabet, 
and  signals  of  the  telegraph  disk.  I  extract  from  the  London  Artisan, 
vol.  iii.  p.  247,  for  Nov.  1849,  an  account  of  the  present  condition  of 
this  telegraph  in  England,  by  Francis  Whishaw,  Esq. 

The  construction  of  the  telegraphs  chiefly  used  in  England,  may  be 
thus  described :  Along  the  sides  of  the  various  railways  (for  by  this 
system  it  is  wise  to  have  the  telegraph  wires  protected,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, by  a  constant  supervision)  wooden  vertical  posts  of  fir  timber 
are  ranged  at  convenient  distances.  Each  post  is  furnished  with  an 
insulator  of  earthenware,  through  which  the  wires  are  drawn,  to  pre- 
vent their  connection  with  the  wooden  posts.  The  wires  are  of  stout 
galvanized  iron,  which  are  carried  from  one  end  of  the  railway  to  the 
other,  except  in  passing  through  tunnels,  or  under  bridges.  In  such 
cases,  the  insulators  are  attached  to  the  brickwork ;  and  thus  the  wires 
are  prevented  from  being  in  contact  with  the  brickwork.  Each  post 
is  furnished  with  a  lightning  conductor,  and  is  also  capped  with  a 
wooden  roof,  with  dripping  eaves  to  throw  the  rain-water  from  the 
wires.  At  each  end  of  the  telegraphs,  the  line  wire  is  connected  with 
an  earth  battery,  consisting  of  a  large  plate  of  zinc  or  copper,  buried 
in  the  earth — the  object  of  which  is  to  avoid  the  necessity  of  a  return 
wire,  which  in  the  first  telegraphs  in  England  was  made  use  of.  At 
the  various  stations,  one  or  more  of  Cooke  and  Wheatstone's  needle 
instruments  are  set  up,  being  connected  with  the  line  wires  and  batte- 


86  THE  ELECTEO -MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

ries  by  wires  of  smaller  size,  generally  covered  with  silk  or  cotton, 
whicli  is  easily  destroyed  by  the  alterations  of  weather,  and,  therefore, 
is  objectionable.  Each  telegraph  on  this  plan  has  two  wires.  The 
batteries  used  are  of  the  most  simple  form,  consisting  of  a  trough, 
divided  into  any  number  of  cells,  according  to  the  power  required. 
Alternate  -plates  of  zinc  and  copper  are  connected  throughout  the 
pile,  which  dip  into  sand,  saturated  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid — the 
use  of  the  sand  being  to  prevent  waste  of  the  acid  in  the  battery,  when 
required  to  be  sent  from  one  station  to  another  ready  charged.  The 
signals  are  given  by  means  of  the  needles,  placed  in  front  of  a  dial, 
on  which  are  written  or  engraved  the  letters  of  the  alphabet,  being 
moved  either  to  the  right  or  to  the  left.  Each  needle  in  front  of  the 
dial  is  placed  on  the  same  axis  as  a  magnetic  needle  behind  the  dial, 
which  latter  is  suspended  freely  in  a  space  surrounded  by  a  coil  of 
wire,  through  which  coil,  when  the  current  is  transmitted  either  in 
one  direction  or  the  other,  the  needle  is  deflected  either  to  the  right 
hand  or  to  the  left,  as  may  be  desired  ;  so  that,  by  a  certain  number 
of  movements  of  each  needle,  and  by  the  combination  of  the  move- 
ments of  both,  every  letter  of  the  alphabet,  or  any  numeral,  is  given. 
As  many  as  thirty  letters,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  are  thus 
transmitted  in  a  minute ;  but  by  expert  manipulators  many  more. 
Although  the  requisite  movements  are  easily  learned,  yet  it  requires 
many  weeks  for  a  telegraphist  to  work  the  needle  instrument  suffi- 
ciently well  to  be  intrusted  with  a  communication  of  any  value, 
whether  for  railway  or  commercial  purposes;  moreover,  it  is  requisite 
that  the  two  persons  communicating  with  each  other  should  be  equally 
advanced  in  the  required  manipulations.  Some  of  the  boys  employed 
by  the  Electric  Telegraph  Company,  have  acquired  wonderful  rapidity 
in  the  transmission  of  messages  ;  while  I  have  known  many  persons 
give  up  the  occupation  altogether,  although  having  no  other  employ- 
ment to  resort  to.  In  case  of  a  telegraphist  attending  the  needle  in- 
strument being  suddenly  disabled  by  illness  or  otherwise,  great  incon- 
venience must  be  experienced,  by  reason  of  no  one  being  at  hand  to 
take  his  place ;  whereas,  by  other  instruments,  as  that  of  Siemen's, 
&c.,  which  can  be  worked  by  man,  woman,  or  child,  at  five  minutes' 
notice,  this  inconvenience  is  done  away  with.  The  exposure  of  the 
wires  to  atmospheric  influence — to  storms  of  snow,  as  lately  expe- 
rienced on  the  South  Eastern  Eailway — to  the  destructive  effects  of 
trains  running  off  the  way,  and  to  the  destruction  of  the  wires  by 
malicious  persons  (rewards  for  whose  apprehension  have  frequently 
been  offered),  are  all  fatal  objections  to  the  present  English  system 
ever  becoming  universal.  Moreover,  the  expense  to  railway  compa- 
nies and  others  is  a  sad  drawback  to  the  farther  extension  of  this 
system  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland — for  the  railways  of  which  alone 
an  extension  of  at  least  2,000%  miles  is  still  required.  The  average 
charge  for  an  electric  telegraph  with  two  wires,  as  hitherto  furnished 
to  the  various  railway  companies  in  England,  may  be  stated  at  not 
less  than  150?.  per  mile ;  added  to  which  an  annual  sum  must  be  cal- 
culated on  for  keeping  it  in  order,  and  reinstating,  when  necessary, 
the  wooden  posts,  ^c.  The  charge  for  transmission  of  communications 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  87 

by  the  Electric  Telegraph  Company's  telegraphs  in  England,  is  at  the 
rate  of  one  penny  per  mile  for  the  first  fifty  miles,  and  one  farthing 
per  mile  for  any  distance  beyond  one  hundred  miles.  The  South- 
Eastern  Eailway  Company's  charges  for  telegraphic  communications 
are  even  much  higher  than  those  of  the  Electric  Telegraph  Company. 
Thus  twenty  words,  transmitted  eighty-eight  miles,  is  charged  the 
large  sum  of  lls. ;  whereas  the  same  length  of  communication  for 
the  distance  of  100  miles  is  only  charged  6s.  3d.  by  the  Electric  Tele- 
graph Company. 

If  we  judge  by  the -following  remarks,  some  of  the  English  journals 
appreciate  the  advantages  of  this  form  of  telegraph. 

"  We  have  heard  of  things  being  done  *  in  less  than  no  time,'  and 
always  looked  on  the  phrase  as  a  figure  of  speech  signifying  great  dis- 
patch. The  paradox  seems,  however,  to  have  been  actually  realized 
in  the  invention  of  Wheatstone's  Great  Western  Telegraph,  a  message 
having  been  sent  in  the  year  1845,  and  received  in  the  year  1844!  It 
appears  that  directly  after  the  clock  had  struck  twelve,  on  the  night  of 
the  31st  of  Dec.  last,  the  superintendent  at  Paddington  signalled  to 
his  brother  at  Slough,  that  he  wished  him  a  happy  New  Year ;  an 
answer  was  immediately  returned,  suggesting  that  the  wish  was  pre- 
mature, as  the  New  Year  had  not  yet  arrived  at  Slough.  Such,  in- 
deed, was  the  fact,  for  'panting'  Time  was  matched  against  the  tele- 
graph, and  beaten  by  half  a  minute." 

On  the  London  and  Portsmouth  Electric  Telegraph  (88  miles), 
"  Her  Majesty's  speech,  on  the  opening  of  Parliament  was  transmitted 
by  the  telegraph  to  Portsmouth,  and  published  there  almost  as  soon 
as  in  London.  The  speech  contained  3,600  letters,  and  was  printed 
off  as  it  arrived.  It  occupied  about  two  hours  in  the  transmission, 
being  at  the  rate  of  about  300  letters  per  minute." — Mech.  Mag.  Feb.  1, 
1845. 

Steinheil1  s  Electro- Magnetic  Needle  Printing  Telegraph. 

The  next  telegraph  in  order  of  date  of  publication  is  that  of  Pro- 
fessor Steinheil,  the  first  published  notice  of  which  I  find  in  a  letter 
from  Munich,  dated  December  23,  1836,  published  in  the  third  volume 
of  the  Magazine  of  Popular  Science. 

"Prof.  Steinheil  has  fitted  up  a  telegraph  here  according  to 'the  plan 
of  Prof.  Gauss,  and  similar  in  principle  to  that  which  connects  the 
Observatory  and  Cabinet  of  Natural  Philosophy  at  Gbttingen."  This 
telegraph  was  in  operation  previous  to  July,  1837,  but  was  not  pub- 
lished and  described  until  August,  1838.  "  His  Memoir  was  commu- 
nicated for  the  Comptes  Eendus  July  19,  and  published,  in  September, 
1838."  According  to  the  authority  of  Prof.  Morse,  Steinheil's  telegraph 
was  adopted  by  the  Bavarian  Government,  and  was  in  actual  operation 
during  his  visit  to  Europe  in  1838.  According  to  the  same  authority, 
in  1838,  "Professor  Steinheil's  telegraph  was  the  only  European 
telegraph  that  professed  to  write  the  intelligence." — See  Letter  of  Pro- 
fessor Morse  to  the  Hon.  C.  G.  Ferres,  VaiTs  Electro-Mag.  Telegraph, 
pp.  95,  97. 


88  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

In  the  work  of  Dr.  Schellen,  published  in  Germany  in  1850,  it  is 
stated  that  Steinheil's  telegraph  was  in  operation  in  1837. 

This  is  the  first  telegraph  which  I  find  on  record,  in  which  the  earth 
w;as  employed  as  half  of  the  circuit — a  most  useful  application  of  know- 
ledge, gained  at  great  labor,  and  not  patented,  but  published  freely  to 
the  world.  His  experiments  are  thus  described  by  Dr.  Schellen,  in 
his  work  on  the  telegraph : — 

"  Gauss  had  already  conceived  it  possible  to  make  conductors  of 
the  rails  of  a  railroad,  when  Steinheil,  in  1838,  make  the  experiment, 
insulating  the  chairs  of  the  rails  by  tarred  felt;  this  was,  however, 
imperfect  insulation,  as  the  circuit  would  not  extend  beyond  thirty 
rails.  To  test  the  matter  more  thoroughly,  he  had  some  new  rails 
constructed ;  but  the  points  of  contact  were  so  numerous,  and  the 
establishment  of  a  metallic  connection  between  the  two  rails  by  the 
wheels  and  axles  of  the  cars  passing  over  them  so  complete,  that  the 
current  lost  its  force,  and  all  idea  of  the  measure  was  given  up.  This 
experiment,  demonstrating  the  conducting  power  of  the  earth,  induced 
Steinheil  to  think  of  that  as  a  means  of  return  circuit,  and  thus  dis- 
pense with  one-half  the  wire.  The  fact  by  experiment  he  found 
verified,  and  immediately  arranged  his  apparatus  on  this  plan.  This 
was  a  discovery  of  vast  utility,  and  has  contributed  much  to  thk  ex- 
tension of  telegraphing.  Steinheil  says,  you  can  make  conductors  of 
earth  and  water,  as  well  as  of  wire,  if  you  increase  their  size  in  pro- 
portion to  the  non-conductibility  of  the  substance.  Water  was 
100,000  times  worse  as  a  conductor  than  copper,  and  therefore  the 
conducting  surface  should  be  made  100,000  times  greater ;  in  order 
to  obtain  this  large  conducting  medium,  it  is  necessary  that  the  wires 
should  terminate  in  submerged  plates  of  the  required  dimensions  to 
include  that  medium  between  them.  The  same  idea  was  afterwards 
brought  forward  by  Dr.  Coxe,  of  this  city,  in  regard  to  the  use  of  rail- 
roads for  telegraphic  purposes,  in  September,  1845." 

Steinheil's  alphabet  is  one  of  great  beauty  and  simplicity,  dis- 
playing the  man  of  learning  and  refinement ;  as,  for  example,  his 
musical  bells,  producing  sounds  which,  striking  upon  a  cultivated 
ear,  conveyed  a  telegraphic  language  in  imitation  of  the  human  voice. 
But  he  did  not  confine  himself  to  the  production  of  evanescent  sound  ; 
he  also  employed  the  simple  dot,  so  as  to  fix  them  permanently  upon 
paper,  that  they  could  be  recalled  again.  This  form  of  telegraph  is  a 
combination  of  the  successive  fundamental  discoveries  of  Professors 
(Ersted  and  Faraday,  with  the  multiplicator  of  Schwigger. 

I  extract  from  the  original  paper  of  Steinheil,  published  in  the  Lon- 
don Annals  of  Electricity,  March  and  April,  1839,  an  account  of  his  tele- 
graph, being  the  most  complete  which  I  can  find  on  record : — 

To  Gauss  and  Weber*  is  due  the  .merit  of  having,  in  1833,  actually 
constructed  the  first  simplified  galvano-magnetic  telegraph.  It  was 
Gauss  who  first  employed  the  excitement  of  induction,  and  who  demon- 
strated that  the  appropriate  combination  of  a  limited  number  of  signs 
is  all  that  is  required  for  the  transmission  of  communication.  Weber's 

*  Gott.  gel.  Anz.  1834,  p.  1273,  and  Schumacher's  Jahrbuch,  1837,  p.  38. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  89 

discovery  that  a  copper  wire  7,460  feet  long,  which  he  had  led  across 
the  houses  and  steeples  at  Gottingen  from  the  Observatory  to  the  Cabi- 
net of  Natural  Philosophy,  required  no  especial  insulation,  was  one  of 
great  importance.  The  principle  was  thereby  at  once  established  of 
bringing  the  galvanic  telegraph  to  the  most  convenient  form.  All 
that  was  required  was  an  appropriate  method  of  inducing  or  exciting 
the  current  with  the  power  of  changing  its  direction  without  having 
recourse  to  any  special  contrivances  for  that  purpose.  In  accordance 
with  the  principles  we  have  laid  down,  all  that  was  required  in  addi- 
tion to  this  was  to  render  the  signals  audible,  a  task  that  apparently 
presented  no*  very  particular  difficulty,  inasmuch  as  in  the  very  scheme 
itself  a  mechanical  motion,  namely,  the  deflection  of  a  magnetic  bar, 
was  given.  All  that  we  had  to  do,  therefore,  was  to  contrive  that  this 
motion  should  be  made  available  for  striking  bells  or  for  making  in- 
delible dots.  This  falls  within  the  province  of  mechanics,  and  there 
are  therefore  more  ways  than  one  of  solving  the  problem.  Hence  the 
alterations  that  I  have  made  in  the  telegraph  of  Gauss,  and  by  which  it 
has  assumed  its  present  form,  may  be  said  to  be  founded  on  my  percep- 
tion and  improvement  of  its  imperfections,  in  harmony  with  what  I 
had  previously  laid  down  as  necessary  for  perfect  telegraphic  commu- 
nication. I  by  no  means,  however,  look  on  the  arrangement  I  have 
selected  as  complete ;  but  as  it  answers  the  purpose  I  had  in  view, 
it  may  be  well  to  abide  by  it  till  some  simpler  arrangement  is  con- 
trived. 

As  an  inductor  or  exciter  I  employ  a  rotating  apparatus  whose  con- 
struction, speaking  in  a  general  way,  is  similar  to  those  of  Clarke,  of 
London.  The  multipliers  of  which  my  inductor  is  composed,  consist 
of  a  vast  number  of  turns  of  fine  insulated  copper  wire;  and  this  ar- 
rangement is  necessary  in  order  that  the  resistance  offered  bv  the 
thicker  wire  completing  the  circuit,  even  should  it  be  many  miles  long, 
may  be  but  little  increased.  Of  the  galvanic  influence  excited  during 
the  entire  half-turn  of  the  rotating  double  multiplier,  only  a  small  por- 
tion is  employed,  and  that  when  it  is  at  the  maximum  of  its  energy. 
By  this  means  the  duration  of  the  current  is  but  very  short,  an  arrange- 
ment which  therefore,  in  a  manner,  can  cause  merely  a  momentary  de- 
flection of  the  little  magnetic  bars  employed  for  giving  the  signals.  In 
heighten  the  action  of  these  indicators  as  much  as  possible, 
„  surrounded  by  powerful  multipliers.  Small  detached  magnets 
)laced  near  these  indicators,  that  they  are  thereby  brought  back 
to  their  original  position  immediately  that  the  induced  current  ceases, 
or,  in  other  words,  as  soon  as  the  deflection  has  taken  place  :  I  thus  am 
enabled  to  repeat  signals  in  very  rapid  succession.  The  same  indicator 
can  be  brought  with  ease  to  make  five  deflections  in  a  second,  succeed- 
ing each  other  as  fast  as  the  sounds  of  a  repeater  when  striking.  Hence 
if  bells  are  placed  at  the  proper  striking  distance  from  these  indicators, 
they  will  ring  at  every  deflection  produced,  and  as  it  is  quite  immate- 
rial at  what  part  of  the  wire,  completing  the  circuit,  the  multiplier  con- 
taining the  indicator  is  inserted,  we  have  it  in  our  power  to  produce 
the  sign  excited  by  induction  at  any  part  of  the  course  the  wire  takes. 
Should  it  be  desired  that  the  indicator  instead  of  producing  sounds 


90  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

should  write,  it  is  merely  required  to  adapt  to  one  end  of  the  little 
magnetic  bar  a  small  vessel  filled  with  a  black  color,  and  terminating 
in  a  capillary  tube.  This  tube,  instead  of  striking  on  a  bell,  thus  makes 
a  black  spot  upon  some  flat  surface  held  in  front  of  it.  If  these  spots 
are  to  compose  writing,  the  surface  upon  which  they  are  printed  must 
keep  moving  on  in  front  of  the  indicator  with  a  uniform  velocity,  and 
this  is  easily  brought  about  by  means  of  an  endless  strip  of  paper 
which  is  rolled  off  one  cylinder  on  to  another  by  clock-work.  As  far 
as  the  employment  of  this  telegraph  is  concerned,  it  may  be  fairly  said 
to  perform  all  that  can  be  reasonably  required  of  it.  The  excitation 
of  the  current  is  produced  by  half  a  turn  of  the  indicator,  and  is  equally 
available  at  all  times.  The  sounds  of  the  bells  close  to  the  person 
making  the  signals,  and  which  being  produced  at  the  other  station  too 
are  also  audible  there,  become,  by  practice,  intelligible  as  a  language. 
Should  they,  however,  be  overheard  or  misunderstood,  the  communi- 
cation presents  itself  simultaneously  written  down.  This  can  be  done 
with  closed  doors,  without  any  but  the  parties  concerned  being  aware 
of  it ;  the  communication  may  be  made  at  any  distance,  and  either  by 
day  or  night,  without  any  appreciable  loss  of  time.  There  is,  there- 
fore, every  reason  to  be  content  with  the  performance  of  the  instru- 
ment. 

It  is  not,  however,  to  be  denied,  that  the  establishment  of  certain 
conditions  indispensable  to  its  action  is,  nevertheless,  a  matter  of  some 
difficulty.  We  allude  to  the  connecting  wire  joining  the  stations. 

It  has  been  stated  above  that  Ampere  required  more  than  sixty  such 
wires,  whereas  thirty  or  so  were  sufficient  for  Sommering.  Wheat- 
stone  and  Cooke*  reduced  their  number  to  five ;  Gauss,  and,  probably 
in  imitation  of  him,  Schilling,  as  likewise  Morsef  in  New  York,  made 
use  of  but  a  single  wire  running  to  the  distant  station  and  back.  One 
might  imagine  that  this  part  of  the  arrangement  could  not  be  farther 
simplified ;  such,  however,  is  by  no  means  the  case.  I  have  found  that 
even  the  half  of  this  length  of  wire  may  be  dispensed  with,  and  that 
with  certain  precautions  its  place  is  supplied  by  the  ground  itself.  We 
know  in  theory  that  the  conducting  powers  of  the  ground  and  of  water 
are  very  small,  compared  with  that  of  the  metals,  especially  copper. 
It  seems,  however,  to  have  been  previously  overlooked,  that  we  have  it 
within  our  reach  to  make  a  perfectly  good  conductor  out  of  water  or 
any  other  of  the  so  called  semi-conductors.  All  that  is  required  is, 
that  the  surface  that  its  section  presents  should  be  as  much  greater 
than  that  of  the  metal  as  its  conducting  power  is  less.  In.  that  case 
the  resistance  offered  by  the  semi-conductor  will  equal  that  of  the  per- 
fect conductor ;  and  as  we  can  make  conductors  of  the  ground  of  any 
size  we  please,  simply  by  adapting  to  the  ends  of  the  wires  plates  pre- 
senting a  sufficient  surface  of  contact,  it  is  evident  that  we  can  diminish 
the  resistance  offered  by  the  ground  or  by  water  to  any  extent  we  like. 
We  can,  indeed,  so  reduce  this  resistance  as  to  make  it  quite  insensible 
when  compared  to  that  offered  by  the  metallic  circuit,  so  that  not  only 

*•  La  France  Industrielle,  1838,  April  5,  p.  3. 

f  Mechanics'  Magazine,  No.  757,  p.  332.  Silliman's  Journal  for  October,  1837.  An- 
nals of  Electricity,  &c.  vol.  ii.  p.  116. 


THE  ELECTROMAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  91 

is  half  the  wire  spared,  but  even  the  resistance  that  such  a  circuit  would 
present  is  diminished  by  one-half.  This  fact,  the  importance  of  which 
in  the  erection  of  galvanic  telegraphs  speaks  for  itself,  furnishes  us 
with  another  additional  feature  in  which  galvanism  resembles  electri- 
city. The  experiments  of  Winckler,  at  Leipsic,  had  already  shown  us 
that  with  frictional  electricity  the  ground  may  replace  a  portion  of  the 
discharging  wire.  The  same  is  now  known  to  hold  good  with  respect 
to  galvanic  currents. 

The  inquiry  into  the  laws  of  dispersion,  according  to  which  the 
ground,  whose  mass  is  unlimited,  is  acted  upon  by  the  passage  of  the 
galvanic  current,  appeared  to  be  a  subject  replete  with  interest.  The 
galvanic  excitation  cannot  be  confined  to  the  portions  of  earth  situated 
between  the  two  ends  of  the  wire ;  on  the  contrary,  it  cannot  but  ex- 
tend itself  indefinitely,  and  it  became,  therefore,  now  only  dependent 
on  the  law  that  obtained  the  excitation  of  the  ground  and  the  distance 
of  the  exciting  terminations  of  the  wire,  whether  it  was  necessary  or 
not  to  have  any  metallic  communication  at  all  for  carrying  on  tele- 
graphic intercourse. 

I  can  here  only  state  in  a  general  way  that  I  have  succeeded  in  de- 
ducing this  law  experimentally  from  the  phenomena  it  presents  ;  and 
that  the  result  of  the  investigation  is,  that  the  excitation  diminishes 
rapidly  as  the  distance  between  the  terminal  wires  increases. 

An  apparatus  can,  it  is  true,  be  constructed  in  which  the  inductor, 
having  no  metallic  connection  whatever  with  the  multiplier,  by  nothing 
more  than  the  excitation  transmitted  through  the  ground,  will  produce 
galvanic  currents  in  that  multiplier  sufficient  to  cause  a  visible  deflec- 
tion of  the  bar.  This  is  a  hitherto  unobserved  fact,  and  may  be  classed 
among  the  most  extraordinary  phenomena  that  science  has  revealed 
to  us.  It  only  holds  good,  however,  for  small  distances.  It  must  be 
left  to  the  future  to  decide  whether  we  shall  ever  succeed  in  telegraph- 
ing at  great  distances  without  any  metallic  communication  at  all.  My 
experiments  prove  that  such  a  thing  is  possible  up  to  distances  of  50 
feet.  For  distant  stations  we  can  only  conceive  it  feasible  by  aug- 
menting the  power  of  the  galvanic  induction,  or  by  appropriate  mul- 
tipliers constructed  for  the  purpose,  or,  in  conclusion,  by  increasing 
the  surface  of  contact  presented  by  the  ends  of  the  multiplier.  At  all 
events,  the  phenomenon  merits  our  best  attention,  and  its  influence  will 
not  perhaps  be  altogether  overlooked  in  the  theoretic  views  we  may 
form  with  regard  to  galvanism  itself. 

To  sum  up  in  a  few  words  what  are  the  results  of  what  we  have 
here  brought  forward  respecting  telegraphic  communications,  we  see  that 
with  the  present  arrangement  of  the  apparatus,  no  principle  can  be 
brought  into  competition  with  the  galvanic  telegraph,  but  that  the  es- 
tablishing the  metallic  connection  indispensable  to  its  action,  although 
now  materially  simplified,  still  presents  great  difficulties  in  practice. 
Indeed,  such  a  connection  is  only  practicable  where  it  can  be  constantly 
watched,  as,  for  instance,  in  the  vicinity  of  railroads. 

For  very  considerable  distances  without  intermediate  stations,  galvanic 
or  electric  excitation  must,  on  account  of  its  rapidity,  be  always  the 
best  power  to  have  recourse  to.  For  less  distances,  it  yet  remains  open 


92  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

to  inquiry  whether,  with  proper  modifications,  some  of  the  other 
methods  we  have  pointed  out  would  not  be  preferable,  as  they  dispense 
with  a  metallic  connection. 

Dr.  SteinheiTs  Magnetic  Telegraph. 

This  telegraph  is  composed  of  three  principal  parts.  1.  A  metallic 
connection  between  the  stations.  2.  The  apparatus  for  exciting  the 
galvanic  current.  3.  The  indicator. 

1.  Connecting  Wire. — The  so  called  connecting  wire  may  be  looked 
on  as  the  wire  completing  the  circuit  of  a  voltaic  battery  extended  to 
a  very  great  length.  What  applies  to  the  one  holds  good  of  the  other. 
With  equal  thicknesses  of  the  same  metal,  the  resistance  offered  to  the 
passage  of  the  galvanic  current  is  proportional  to  the  length  of  the 
wire.  With  equal  lengths  of  the  same  metal,  however,  the  resistance 
diminishes  inversely  with  the  section ;  but  the  conducting  power  of 
metals  is  very  different.  According  to  Fechner,  copper  conducts  six 
times  better  than  iron,  and  four  times  better  than  brass.  The  con- 
ducting power  of  lead  is  even  lower,  so  that  the  only  metals  which  can 
well  vie  with  each  other  in  their  technical  use  are  copper  and  iron. 
But  now,  though  iron  is  about  six  times  as  cheap  as  copper,  it  will  be 
requisite  to  give  the  iron  wire  six  times  the  weight  of  a  copper  one, 
to  gain  the  same  conducting  power  with  equal  lengths.  We  thus  see, 
that  as  far  as  the  expense  is  concerned,  it  comes  to  the  same  thing 
whichever  of  these  metals  is  chosen.  The  preference  will,  however, 
be  given  to  copper,  as  this  metal  is  less  liable  to  oxidation  from  ex- 
posure to  the  atmosphere.  This  latter  difficulty  may  nevertheless  be 
surmounted  by  simple  means,  namely,  by  galvanizing  it.  It  would 
even  appear  that  the  simple  transmission  of  the  galvanic  current  when 
the  telegraph  is  in  use,  is  sufficient  to  preserve  the  iron  from  rust ;  such 
at  least  is  observed  to  be  the  case  with  the  iron  portion  of  the  wire 
used  for  the  telegraph  here,  and  which  has  already  been  exposed  in  all 
weathers. 

If  the  galvanic  current  is  to  traverse  the  entire  metallic  circuit 
without  any  diminution  of  intensity,  the  wire  during  its  whole  course 
mast  not  be  allowed  to  come  into  contact  with  itself ;  neither  should  it 
be  in  frequent  contact  with  semi-conductors,  inasmuch  as  a  portion  of 
the  power  called  into  action  takes  its  course  by  the  shortest  way  in 
consequence  thereof,  whereby  the  remotest  parts  are  deprived  of  a 
portion  of  the  power. 

Numerous  trials  to  insulate  wires,  and  to  conduct  them  below  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  have  led  me  to  the  conviction  that  such  attempts 
can  never  answer  at  great  distances,  inasmuch  as  our  most  perfect  in- 
sulators are  at  best  but  very  bad  conductors.  And  since  in  a  wire  of 
very  great  length,  the  surface  in  contact  with  the  so-called  insulator  is 
uncommonly  large  when  compared  with  the  section  of  the  metallic 
conductor,  there  necessarily  arises  a  gradual  diminution  of  the  force, 
inasmuch  as  the  out  and  the  home  wire,  although  but  slightly,  yet  do 
communicate  in  intermediate  points.  It  would  be  wrong  to  think  that 
this  difficulty  would  be  got  over  by  placing  the  out  and  the  home  wire 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  93 

very  far  apart.  The  distance  between  them  is,  as  we  shall  see  in  the 
sequel,  almost  a  matter  of  indifference.  And  as  we  shall  never  succeed 
in  laying  down  conductors  that  are  sufficiently  insulated  beneath  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  which  is  always  damp,  there  is  but  one  other 
course  open  to  us,  namely,  leading  the  wire  through  the  air.  Upon 
this  plan,  it  is  true,  the  conductor  must  be  supported  from  time  to  time ; 
it  is  liable  to  be  injured  by  the  evil  disposed,  and  is  apt  to  suffer  from 
violent  storms,  or  from  ice  which  forms  upon  it.  As  we,  however, 
have  no  other  method  that  we  can  avail  ourselves  of,  we  must  endeavor 
by  suitable  arrangements  to  get  the  better  of  these,  not  immaterial, 
faults,  in  the  best  way  that  we  can. 

The  conducting  chain  of  the  telegraph  erected  here  consists  of  three 
parts :  one  leads  from  the  Eoyal  Academy  to  the  Royal  Observatory, 
at  Bogenhausen,  and  back,  and  the  total  length  of  its  wire  is  32,506 
feet.  The  weight  of  the  copper  wire  employed  amounts  to  260  pounds. 
Both  wires  (there  and  back)  are  stretched  across  the  steeples  of  the 
town,  at  a  distance  of  four  feet  one  inch.  The  greatest  distance  from 
support  to  support  is  1,279  feet ;  this  is  undoubtedly  far  too  great  for 
a  single  wire,  inasmuch  as  the  ice  that  forms  upon  it  materially  in- 
creases the  weight  of  the  wire  itself,  and  considerably  augments  its 
diameter,  so  that  it  thus  becomes  liable  to  be  torn  asunder  by  high 
winds.  Over  those  places  where  there  are  no  high  buildings,  the  con- 
necting wire  is  supported  upon  tall  poles  forty  or  fifty  feet  long,  which 
are  let  five  feet  into  the  ground,  and  to  the  top  of  which  the  wire  is 
fastened  to  a  crossbar.  At  the  point  where  the  metal  rests  there  is 
simply  a  piece  of  felt  laid,  and  the  wire  is  made  fast  by  twisting  it 
round  the  wooden  bar.  The  distance  from  pole  to  pole  ranges  between 
640  and  650  feet ;  but  this  is  far  too  great,  for  experience  has  shown 
that  the  wires  become  considerably  stretched  by  high  winds  and  other 
causes,  and  have,  in  consequence,  had  to  be  taken  up  more  than  once. 

All  these  evils  would  be  overcome  by  making  the  connection  by  at 
least  a  triple  strand  of  metal,  and  not  by  a  single  wire  supporting  it  at 
intervals  of  300  feet,  and  giving  it  a  tension  not  exceeding  one-third 
of  what  it  will  bear  without  giving  way.  This,  however,  in  the  exper- 
imental telegraph  erected  here,  was  not  practicable,  for  reasons  into 
which  we  cannot  enter. 

The  conducting  wire  thus  mounted  is  by  no  means  completely  insu- 
lated. When,  for  example,  the  circuit  is  broken  at  Bogenhausen,  an 
induction  shock  given  in  Munich  ought  to  produce  no  galvanic  excita- 
tion whatever  in  the  parts  of  the  chain  then  disconnected.  Gauss's  gal- 
vanometer, however,  even  then  gives  indication  of  a  weak  current ;  mea- 
surements, indeed,  go  to  show  that  this  current  goes  on  increasing  as 
the  point  at  which  the  interruption  of  the  stream  is  made  recedes  from 
the  inductor.  ^  The  absolute  amount  of  this  current  is  not  constant. 
Generally  it  is*  strongest  when  the  weather  is  damp.  When  there  are 
heavy  showers  of  rain,  it  may  be  fairly  said  to  be  five  times  as  strong 
as  when  the  weather  is  settled  dry.  At  moderate  distances  of  a  few 
miles,  this  small  loss  of  power  is  of  almost  no  importance,  and  that  the 
more  as  the  construction  of  the  inductor  places  currents  of  almost  any 
strength  we  choose  at  our  command.  When  the  distance,  however, 


94  THE  ELECTRO- MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

amounted  to  upwards  of  200  miles,  the  greatest  part  of  the  effect  would 
be  dissipated.  In  such  cases  much  greater  precaution  must  be  taken 
with  regard  to  the  points  of  support  of  the  metallic  circuit. 

When  thunderstorms  occur,  atmospheric  electricity  collects  on  this 
semi-insulated  chain  as  upon  a  conductor,  but  the  passage  of  the  gal- 
vanic current  is  not  at  all  affected  thereby.  An  occurrence  may  be 
mentioned  here  as  a  warning  for  the  future.  During  a  severe  thunder- 
storm on  the  7th  of  July,  1838,  a  very  strong  electric  spark  darted  at 
the  same  instant  through  the  entire  conducting  chain,  and  there  was 
simultaneously  produced  at  the  indicator,  that  is  fitted  up  in  my  room, 
a  sound  like  the  cracking  of  a  whip.  At  the  s^me  time  the  lower 
toned  bell  of  the  indicator  emitted  a  sound  owing  to  the  deflection  of 
the  needle,  and  the  blow  was  so  hard  that  the  points  on  which  the  mag- 
netic bar  plays  were  injured.  The  same  phenomenon  was  observed  at 
one  of  the  other  stations.  As  the  deflecting  power  of  frictional  elec- 
tricity is  very  inconsiderable  with  respect  to  magnets,  the  above  occur- 
rence indicates  the  presence  of  a  vast  quantity  of  electricity.  It  can 
only  have  arisen  from  the  electricity  of  the  earth  having  at  that  mo- 
ment made  its  way  to  that  collected  in  the  wire.  Whether  this  was 
brought  about  through  the  lightning  conductors  in  the  neighborhood, 
or  the  imperfect  insulation  of  the  points  of  support,  cannot  be  well 
made  out. 

Quite  recently,  I  made  the  discovery  that  the  ground  may  be  em- 
ployed as  one-half  of  the  connecting  chain.  As  in  the  case  of  frictional 
electricity,  water  or  the  ground  may  with  the  galvanic  current  form  a 
portion  of  the  connecting  wire.  Owing  to  the  low  conducting  power 
of  these  bodies,  compared  with  metals,  it  is  necessary  that  at  the  two 
places  where  the  metal  conductor  is  in  connection  with  the  semi-con- 
ductor, the  former  should  present  very  large  surfaces  of  contact.  Tak- 
ing water,  for  instance,  to  conduct  two  million  times  worse  than  copper, 
a  surface  of  water  proportional  to  this  must  be  brought  in  contact  with 
the  copper,  to  enable  the  galvanic  current  to  meet  with  equal  resist- 
ance, in  equal  distances  of  water  and  of  metal.  For  instance,  if  the 
section  of  a  copper  wire  is  0.5  of  a  square  line,  it  will  require  a  copper 
plate  of  61  square  feet  surface  in  order  to  conduct  the  galvanic  current 
through  the  ground,  as  the  wire  in  question  would  conduct  it.  But  as 
the  thickness  of  the  metal  is  quite  immaterial  in  this  case,  it  will  be 
always  within  our  reach  to  get  the  requisite  surfaces  of  contact  at  no 
great  expense.  Not  only  do  we  by  this  means  save  half  the  conducting 
wire,  but  we  can  even  reduce  the  resistance  of  the  ground  below  what 
that  of  the  wire  would  be,  as  has  been  fully  established  by  experi- 
ments made  here  with  the  experimental  telegraph. 

A  second  portion  of  the  conducting  chain  leads  from  the  Royal 
Academy  to  my  house  and  observatory  in  the  Lercherj.strasse.  This 
conductor  is  of  iron  wire ;  its  length,  there  and  back,  is  5,745  feet,  and 
it  is  stretched  over  steeples  and  other  high  buildings,  as  has  already 
been  described.  Lastly,  a  third  portion  of  the  chain,  running  through 
the  interior  of  the  buildings  connected  with  the  Royal  Academy,  leads 
to  the  mechanical  workshop  attached  to  the  cabinet  of  Natural  Philo- 
sophy. It  is  composed  of  a  fine  copper  wire,  958  feet  long,  let  into 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  95 

the  joinings  of  the  floor,  and  in  part  imbedded  in  the  walls.  These 
three  portions  together  compose  a  line,  returning  into  itself,  and  into 
which  the  apparatus  for  generating  the  galvanic  current,  and  also  the 
indicator,  are  inserted. 

2.  Apparatus  for  Generating  the  Galvanic  Current. — Hydro-galvanism, 
or  the  galvanic  current  generated  by  the  action  of  the  voltaic  pile,  is 
by  no  means  fitted  for  traversing  very  long  connecting  wires,  because 
the  resistance  in  the  pile,  even  when  many  hundred  pairs  of  plates  are 
employed,  would  be  always  inconsiderable  compared  with  the  resist- 
ance offered  by  the  wire  itself. 

The  principal  disadvantage,  however,  attendant  on  the  use  of  the 
pile  or  trough  apparatus,  is  the  fluctuations  of  their  current,  joined  to 
the  circumstance  of  their  becoming  very  soon  quite  powerless,  and 
requiring  to  be  taken  to  pieces  and  put  together  again.  The  extremely 
ingenious  arrangement  of  Morse  is  likewise  subject  to  this  inconve- 
nience. (All  these  inconveniences  have  been  obviated  by  Morse's  local 
circuit  and  the  improved  form  of  battery  employed  since  Steinheil's, 
experiments. — T.)  All  this,  however  is  got  over  when  one,  to  gene- 
rate the  current,  has  recourse  to  Faraday's  important  discovery  of  in- 
duction, that  is  to  say,  by  moving  magnets  placed  in  the  neighborhood 
of  conducting  wires.  The  better  way,  however,  is,  not  to  move  the 
magnets  as  Pixii  does  in  his  electro -magnetic  apparatus,  but  rather  to 
give  motion  to  the  multipliers  placed  close  to  a  fixed  magnet.  The 
arrangement  that  Clarke  has  given  to  the  multiplier  is  the  one  which, 
with  some  modifications,  has  been  adopted.  Assuming  on  the  part 
of  our  readers  a  general  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  the  apparatus, 
we  here  confine  ourselves  to  explaining  how  it  has  been  adapted  to 
purposes  of  telegraphic  intercourse. 

The  magnet  is  composed  of  17  horseshoe  bars  of  hardened  steel. 
With  its  iron  armature  its  weight  is  .about  74  Ibs.,  and  it  is  capable  of 
supporting  about  370  Ibs.  Between  the  arms  of  the  magnet  there  is 
fastened  a  piece  of  metal,  supporting  in  its  centre  a  cup  provided 
with  adjusting  screws,  and  which  serves  as  a  support  for  the  axis  of 
the  coils  of  the  multiplier.  The  coils  of  the  multiplier  have  in  all 
15,000  turns  of  wire.  A  metre  (3  feet  3.3708  inches  English)  of  this 
wire  weighs  15  J  grains,  and  it  is  twice  bespun  with  silk.  Its  two 
ends,  which  are  insulated,  are  passed  up  through  the  interior  of  the 
vertical  axis  of  the  multiplier,  and  then  terminate  in  two  hook-shaped 
pieces,  as  may  be  seen  in  Plate  I.  Figs.  8  and  9.  In  order  to  secure 
perfect  insulation,  the  vertical  axis,  Fig.  8,  was  bored  out  hollow.  Into 
this  hole  there  are  let  in  from  above  two  semicircular  rods  of  copper, 
which  are  prevented  touching  by  a  strip  of  taffeta  fastened  between 
them  with  glue  ;  and  these  again  are  kept  from  touching  the  metallic 
axis  by  winding  taffeta  round  them.  In  each  of  these  little  strips  of 
metal  there  is,  above  and  below,  a  female  screw  cut.  In  the  lower 
holes  small  metal  pins  are  screwed  in,  to  which  the  ends  of  the  multi- 
plier are  soldered  securely  on.  While  in  the  upper  holes,  as  may  be 
seen  distinctly  in  Figs.  9  and  18,  there  are  iron  hooks  screwed  in. 
These  hooks,  therefore,  form  the  terminations  of  the  multiplier  wires 
of  the  coils  of  the  inductor.  They  here  turn  down,  Fig.  15,  into  two 


96  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

semicircular  cups  of  quicksilver,  that  are  separated  by  a  wooden  par- 
tition. From  these  cups  of  quicksilver  there  proceed  connections,  J  J, 
Figs.  8  and  13,  towards  the  wires,  and  they  therefore  may  be  considered 
as  forming  part  of  the  chain.  The  quicksilver,  owing  to  its  capillarity, 
stands  at  a  higher  level  in  these  semicircular  cups  than  are  the  parti- 
tions, so  that  the  terminal  hooks  of  the  wires  of  the  multiplier  pass 
over  these  partitions  without  touching  them  when  the  multiplier  is 
made  to  turn  on  its  axis.  One  sees  that  the  hooks  thus  are  brought 
into  other  cups  of  quicksilver  at  every  half  turn  of  the  multiplier,  in 
consequence  of  which  the  galvanic  current  preserves  its  sign  as  long 
as  the  multiplier  is  turned  in  one  direction,  but  it  changes  its  sign  on 
the  motion  being  reversed.  This  commutation,  which  it  may  be  re- 
marked may  be  established  without  the  use  of  mercury,  by  the  con- 
tact of  strips  of  copper  that  act  like  springs,  is  found  to  answer  com- 
pletely. There  are,  besides,  two  other  arrangements  which  we  must 
not  allow  to  pass  unnoticed. 

The  galvanic  current,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  sequel  when  treating  of 
the  indicator,  should  only  be  permitted  to  be  in  action  during  as  short 
a  period  as  possible,  but  during  that  interval  should  have  the  greatest 
intensity  we  can  command.  The  terminal  hooks  of  the  wires  dip  into 
the  quicksilver  only  at  the  place  where  it  forms  pools  that  advance 
towards  each  other  at  the  centre,  and  where  the  current  is  at  its  greatest 
intensity  (see  Figs.  13, 14,  and  15).  Fig.  15  shows  the  position  that  the 
inductor  has  when  the  terminal  hooks  first  dip  into  the  cups.  In  all 
other  positions  of  the  inductor  it  should,  however,  form  no  part  of  the 
chain,  otherwise  the  signals  made  at  the  other  stations  will  be  repeated 
by  its  own  multiplying  wire ;  and  this  becomes  of  the  more  moment 
the  greater  the  resistance  in  the  inductor  is.  In  order,  therefore,  to  cut 
off  the  inductor  when  in  any  other  position  than  shown  at  Fig.  15, 
there  is  a  wooden  ring  adapted  to  the  axis  of  rotation  of  the  inductor 
(see  Figs.  11  and  12).  This  ring  is  encircled  with  a  copper  hoop,  and 
into  this  latter  two  iron  hooks  are  screwed.  These  hooks  dip  down 
into  the  semicircular  cups  of  quicksilver,  as  shown  at  Fig.  14.  At 
the  moment,  however,  that  they  are  passing  across  the  wooden  parti- 
tion, the  hooks  of  the  inductor,  which  are  at  right  angles  to  them,  dip 
into  the  cups.  When  the  hooks  of  the  multiplier  are  in  contact  with 
the  quicksilver,  the  connection  with  the  hooks  for  diverting  the  cur- 
rent is  broken.  In  every  other  position  the  connection  through  the 
hooks  of  the  multiplier  is  interrupted,  while  it  is  established  through 
the  others ;  whence  it  naturally  follows  that  the  current,  on  being 
transmitted  from  any  other  station,  passes  directly  through  the  latter 
hooks,  or,  in  other  words,  crosses  directly  from  one  quicksilver  cup  to 
the  other,  and  is  not  forced  to  traverse  the  wire  of  the  inductor  for 
that  purpose.  In  order  to  put  the  inductor  in  motion  without  trouble, 
there  is  a  fly  bar  terminating  in  two  rnetal  balls  fastened  horizontally 
on  to  its  vertical  axis  (annexed  cuts),  Figs.  40  and  41.  To  prevent 
the  quicksilver  being  scattered  about,  owing  to  the  motion  of  the 
hooks  as  they  dip  into  it  when  the  multiplier  is  turning  rapidly,  a 
glass  cylinder  is  fitted  on  to  this  part  of  the  apparatus,  Fig.  1.  At 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


97 


every  half  turn  is  seen  the  passage  of  the  spark,  as  the  hooks  of  the 
multiplier  leave  their  cups  of  quicksilver. 

If  we  choose  to  give  up  the  phenomena  of  these  sparks,  a  thing 
noways  necessary  to  the  employment  of  the  instrument  as  a  telegraph, 
the  inductor  will  admit  of  a  far  more  simple  construction.  It  will 
then  merely  be  necessary  to  place  the  commutator  directly  above  the 
anker,  and  to  let  the  axis  of  rotation  pass  farther  up  in  the  neck,  in 
the  direction  of  the  fly  bar.  It  then  becomes  unnecessary  to  bore  the 
axis  out,  but  the  ends  of  the  multiplier  are  at  once  fastened  by  twist- 
ing on  to  two  plates  of  copper,  and  these  copper  plates  are  let  into  a 
wooden  ring  directly  opposite  each  other.  The  wooden  ring  is  placed 
upon  the  vertical  axis,  and  made  fast  to  it  by  clamps.  Externally  this 
ring  is,  in  addition  to  the  above-mentioned  plates,  provided  with  an 
arc  of  copper  let  into  it,  which  acts  as  a  contact-breaker,  and  two 
ends  of  the  chain  that  the  current  has  to  traverse  have  the  form  of 
permanent  springs,  that  keep  pressing  against  the  wooden  rings  di- 
rectly opposite  each  other.  By  this  means,  with  this  arrangement 
also,  the  ends  of  the  inductor  are  in  metallic  communication  with  the 
chain  only  during  a  small  portion  of  each  revolution,  while  during  the 
rest  of  the  time  the  connecting  arc  brings  the  ends  of  the  chain  into 


Fig.  40. 


Fig.  41. 


Lines 


A  B  «  E  F  C  H    CH  SCH IKXM  tf  O  P  R 

A  A\       7"%*^^    /V    '^V _Y  - 

STVWZ      0123456      7      8       9 


direct  contact.  This  construction,  in  which  quicksilver  is  entirely  dis- 
pensed with,  is,  on  account  of  its  greater  simplicity  and  durability, 
preferable  to  the  arrangement  first  described.  The  apparatus  of  the 
stations  at  Bogenhausen  and  in  the  Lerchenstrasse  are  thus  con- 
structed. 

3.  The  Indicator. — We  have  shown  in  the  preceding  paper,  that  our 
7 


98  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  f 

aim  is  so  to  employ  the  current  developed  by  the  inductor  and  led* 
through  the  conducting  chain,  that  when  passed  across  magnetic  bars 
that  are  delicately  suspended,  it  may  cause  them  to  be  deflected,  as  was 
discovered  by  CErsted.  These  deflections,  if  we  wish  to  give  the  signals 
in  quick  succession,  must  follow  each  other  with  the  greatest  rapidity, 
and  should  therefore  be  powerful.  This  points  out  to  us  the  size  we 
should  give  the  magnetic  bars  we  wish  to  deflect.  They  must  not, 
however,  be  made  too  small,  as  in  that  case  the  mechanical  force 
arising  from  their  deflection  is  not  strong  enough  to  be  directly  applied 
to  striking  upon  bells,  or  any  other  similar  purpose.  The  deflections 
are,  as  is  well  known,  taking  the  force  of  the  current  to  be  the  same, 
the  stronger  the  greater  number  of  turns  in  the  multiplier,  or,  in  other 
words,  the  oftener  the  wire  is  led  alqng  the  magnetic  bar.  The  size 
of  the  diameter  of  the  separate  turns,  as  we  know,  only  exerts  an  in- 
fluence inasmuch  as  it  adds  to  the  entire  length  of  the  connecting  wire. 
The  indicator  therefore  is  a  multiplier,  whose  two  ends  connect  it  with 
the  conducting  chain,  and  within  which  the  bar  to  be  deflected  is  placed. 
It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  that  the  thinner  the  wire  of  the  multiplier 
is,  the  larger  its  coils  are  ;  and  the  more  turns  they  make,  the  greater 
is  the  resistance  to  the  current  throughout  the  entire  chain. 

Figs.  16  and  17,  Plate  I.,  represent  the  vertical  and  horizontal  sec- 
tions of  an  indicator  containing  two  magnets,  movable  on  their  vertical 
axis,  and  which,  from  their  construction,  are  applicable  both  to  striking 
bells  and  also  to  noting  down  a  type  composed  of  dots.  Into  the 
frames  of  the  multiplier,  which  are  made  of  soldered  sheet  brass,  Fig. 
16,  there  are  soldered  two  smaller  cases  for  the  reception  of  the  mag- 
nets, and  which  allow  of  the  free  motion  of  their  axes.  Above  and 
below  they  have  threads  cut  in  them  for  the  reception  of  four  screws 
in  holes,  on  the  ends  of  which  the  pivots  of  the  axes  turn.  By  means 
of  these  screws  the  position  of  the  bars  may  be  so  regulated  that  their 
motion  is  perfectly  easy  and  free.  In  the  frames  of  the  multiplier 
there  are  600  turns  of  the  same  insulated  copper  wire  as  was  employed 
for  the  inductor.  The  commencement  and  the  end  of  this  wire  are 
shown  at  MM,  Fig.  16.  The  magnetic  bars  are,  as  the  figure  shows, 
so  situated  in  the  frame  of  the  multiplier,  that  the  north  pole  of  the  one 
is  presented  to  the  south  pole  of  the  other.  To  the  ends  which  are 
thus  presented  to  each  other,  but  which,  owing  to  the  influence  they 
mutually  exert,  cannot  well  be  brought  nearer,  there  are  screwed  on 
two  slight  brass  arms  supporting  little  cups,  Figs.  17  and  18.  These 
little  cups,  which  are  meant  to  be  filled  with  printing  ink,  are  provided 
with  extremely  fine  perforated  beaks  that  are  rounded  off  in  front. 
When  printing  ink  is  put  into  these  cups,  it  insinuates  itself  into  the 
tube  of  these  beaks,  owing  to  capillary  attraction ;  and,  without  run- 
ning out,  forms  at  their  apertures  a  projection  of  a  semi-globular  shape. 
The  slightest  contact  suffices,  therefore,  for  noting  down  a  black  dot. 
When  the  galvanic  influence  is  transmitted  through  the  multiplying 
wire  of  this  indicator,  both  magnetic  bars  make  an  effort  to  turn 
in  a  similar  direction  upon  their  vertical  axes.  One  of  the  cups  of 
ink  would  therefore  advance  from  within  the  frame  of  the  multi- 
plier, while  the  other  would  retire  within  it.  To  prevent  this,  two 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  99 

plates  are  fastened  at  the  opposite  ends  of  the  free  space  that  is  allowed 
for  the  play  of  the  bars,  and  against  which  the  other  ends  of  these  bars 
press.  Only  the  end  of  one  bar  can  therefore  start  out  from  within 
the  multiplier  at  a  time,  the  other  being  retained  in  its  place.  In  order 
to  bring  the  magnetic  bars  back  to  their  original  position  as  soon  as 
the  deflection  is  completed,  recourse  is  had  to  small  movable  magnets, 
whose  distance  and  position  are  to  be  varied  till  they  produce  the  desired 
effect.  This  position  must  be  determined  by  experiment,  inasmuch  as 
it  depends  upon  the  intensity  of  the  current  called  into  play. 

If  this  apparatus  be  employed  for  producing  two  sounds  easily  dis- 
tinguishable to  the  ear  by  striking  on  bells,  it  will  be  right  to  select 
clock  bells  or  bells  of  glass,  both  of  which  easily  emit  a  sound,  and 
whose  notes  differ  about  a  sixth.  This  interval  is  by  no  means  a 
matter  of  indifference.  The  sixth  is  more  easily  distinguished  than 
any  other  interval ;  fifths  and  octaves  would  be  frequently  confounded 
by  those  not  versed  in  such  matters.  The  bells  are  to  be  supported 
on  little  pillars  with  feet,  and  their  position  with  respect  to  the  bars, 
and  likewise  their  distance  from  them,  is  to  be  determined  by  experi- 
ment. The  knobs  let  into  the  bars  that  strike  on  the  bells  must  give 
the  blow  at  .the  place  which  most  easily  eniits  a  sound.  These  ham- 
mers, however,  are  not  to  be  too  close  to  the  bells,  as  in  that  case  a 
repetition  of  the  signal  can  easily  ensue.  A  few  trials  will  soon  get 
over  this  difficulty.  If  the  indicator  is  to  write  down  the  signals,  a 
flat  surface  of  paper  must  be  kept  moving  with  a  uniform  velocity  in 
front  of  the  little  beaks  above  mentioned.  The  best  way  of  doing  this 
is  to  employ  very  long  strips  of  the  so-called  endless  paper,  which  is 
to  be  wound  round  a  cylinder  of  wood,  and  then  cut  upon  the  lathe 
into  bands  of  the  suitable  width.  One  of  these  strips  of  paper  must 
be  made  to  unwind  itself  from  a  cylinder,  pass  close  in  front  of  the 
cups,  run  along  a  certain  distance  in  a  horizontal  position,  so  that  the 
dots  noted  down  may  be  read  off,  and  lastly,  wind  itself  up  again  on 
to  a  second  cylinder.  This  second  cylinder  is  put  in  motion  by  clock- 
work, the  regularity  of  whose  action  is  insured  by  a  centrifugal  fly- 
wheel. A  longitudinal  section  of  the  entire  arrangement  is  shown  at 
Fig.  40  (p.  97).  Fig.  41  represents  it  as  seen  from  above.  At  the 
corners  of  the  frame  over  which  the  ribbon  of  paper  is  led,  there  are 
placed  two  movable  rollers  to  diminish  the  friction.  This  frame  more- 
over admits  of  being  advanced  towards  the  cups  or  withdrawn  from 
them,  so  that  the  most  proper  position  to  give  it  can  be  ascertained  by 
experiment.  It  is  evident  that  the  same  magnetic  "bars  cannot  be  at 
once  employed  for  striking  bells  and  for  writing,  the  little  power  they 
exert  being  already  exhausted  by  either  of  these  operations.  But  to 
combine  them  both,  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  introduce  a  second  indi- 
cator into  the  chain.  By  thus  increasing  the  number  of  the  indicators, 
the  loudness  of  the  sounds  of  the  bells  can  be  augmented  at  pleasure ; 
this  can,  however,  only  be  done  at  the  cost  of  an  increased  resistance 
in  the  chain.  In  order  that  this  may  be  increased  by  the  indicator  as 
little  as  possible,  it  would  in  future  be  better  that  its  coils  should  be 
made  of  very  thick  copper  wire,  or  of  strips  of  copper  plate. 

The  above  description  will  enable  those  who  are  familiar  with  such 


100  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

subjects  to  construct  the  apparatus  for  themselves.  "We  have  yet  to 
add  a  few  words  upon 

The  Way  of  putting  the  Apparatus  together. — Fig.  40  (p.  97)  repre- 
sents the  longitudinal  section  of  a  pyramidal  table,  standing  on  the 
floor  of  the  room,  and  containing' the  whole  apparatus.  Fig.  41  shows 
the  same  as  seen  from  above.  The  wires  from  Bogenhausen,  those 
from  the  Lerchenstrasse,  the  ends  of  the  indicator,  and  the  wires  from 
the  quicksilver  cups  of  the  inductor,  or,  in  other  words,  the  two  ends 
of  its  multiplier,  all  meet  together  at  the  centre  of  the  table,  as  seen  at 
Fig.  41.  They  are  here  brought  into  connection  with  eight  holes  filled 
with  quicksilver,  made  in  a  disk  of  wood,  as  shown  at  Fig.  3,  Plate  I. 
The  course  that  the  current  we  call  forth  will  take,  depends  upon  the 
respective  connection  of  these  eight  holes  with  each  other.  For  in- 
stance, supposing  them  to  be  connected  together  by  four  pieces  of  bent 
copper  wire,  as  shown  at  Fig.  3,  the  current  would  pass  through  the  whole 
apparatus,  and  also  the  entire  chain.  Establishing,  however,  the  con- 
nection as  shown  at  Fig.  6,  would  cut  off'  the  Bogenhausen  station,  and 
would  at  once  transmit  the  current  direct  from  the  inductor,  through 
the  multiplier  of  the  indicator  and  through  the  Lerchenstrasse  station. 
Supposing  this  figure  turned  round  180  degrees,  we  should  have  the 
Lerchenstrasse  station  cut  off,  and  the  current  would  pass  through 
Bogenhausen.  A  third  system  of  connections  is  shown  by  the  copper 
wires  represented  in  Fig.  7.  In  this  position  of  the  sketch,  the  induc- 
tor and  the  multiplier  would  be  in  direct  communication,  while  the 
two  stations  a,t  Bogenhausen  and  in  the  Lerchenstrasse  would  be  cut 
off.  But  by  turning  this  figure  90  degrees,  we  should  connect  these 
two  stations,  while  we  broke  off  the  station  in  the  Academy.  Copper 
wires,  serving  to  establish  these  three  systems  of  connection  and  the 
combinations,  are  laid  down  upon  the  under  surface  of  the  wooden 
cover  of  the  commutator,  as  seen  at  Fig.  4.  There  are  24  wires  pro- 
jecting downwards  from  this  lid.  Only  eight  of  them,  however,  ever 
come  into  use  at  once,  so  that  there  must  be  sixteen  other  holes  made 
in  the  lower  disk  of  wood,  for  the  reception  of  the  wires  not  in  use, 
and  having  no  quicksilver  poured  into  them.  It  is  thus  in  our  power 
to  direct  the  course  of  the  current  as  we  choose,  and  the  systems  con- 
cerned are  indicated  upon  the  upper  surface  of  the  cover  of  the  com- 
mutator by  engraved  letters,  see  Fig.  2,  Plate  I. ;  this  cover  containing 
the  different  modifications  of  the  systems  of  connection,  as  shown  at 
Fig.  4.  Changing  the  position  of  this  cover  round  the  central  pin 
springing  from  the  table,  enables  us  to  vary  the  direction  of  the  cur- 
rent in  any  manner  we  like.  The  use  of  quicksilver  cups  in  the  com- 
mutator may  of  course  be  replaced  by  conically  turned  copper  pins. 
This  has  indeed  been  done  at  the  Lerchenstrasse  and  the  Bogenhausen 
stations. 

We  shall  conclude  by  a  few  remarks  upon 

The  Application  of  this  Apparatus  to  Telegraphic  Communication. — 
We  know,  from  what  has  preceded,  that  at  every  half  turn  of  the  fly- 
bar  from  right  to  left,  one  of  the  bars  is  deflected.  I  have  so  connected 
the  terminations  of  the  wires,  that  every  time  this  movement  is  re- 
peated the  high-toned  bell  should  be  struck  at  all  the  stations.  Stand- 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  101 

ing  at  the  side  B  B,  and  turned  towards  the  indicator,  one  immediately 
perceives  the  beak  imprint  a  dot  upon  the  ribbon  of  paper  as  it  moves 
along.  The  intervals  of  time  between  the  successive  repetitions  of 
this  sign,  are  represented  by  the  respective  distances  between  the  dots 
that  follow  in  a  line  upon  the  paper.  On  turning  the  fly-bar  from  left 
to  right  towards  the  operator,  the  deep-toned  bells  ring,  and  the  se- 
cond ink  cup  marks  down  a  dot  upon  the  paper  as  before ;  not,  how- 
ever, upon  the  same  line  with  the  former  dots,  but  upon  a  lower  one. 
High  tones  are  therefore  represented  by  the  upper  dots,  and  low  tones 
by  the  dots  of  the  lower  line,  as  in  writing  music.  As  long  as  the  in- 
tervals between  the  separate  signs  remain  equal,  they  are  to  be  taken 
together  as  a  connected  group,  whether  they  be  pauses  between  the 
tones,  or  intervals  between  the  dots  marked  down.  A  longer  pause 
separates  these  groups  distinctly  from  each  other.  We  are  thus  ena- 
bled, by  appropriately  selected  groups  thus  combined,  to  form  sys- 
tems, representing  the  letters  of  the  alphabet  or  stenographic  charac- 
ters, and  thereby  to  repeat  and  render  permanent  at  all  parts  of  the 
chain,  where  an  apparatus  like  that  above  described  is  inserted,  any 
information  that  we  transmit.  The  alphabet  that  I  have  chosen  re- 
presents the  letters  that  occur  the  oftenest  in  German  by  the  simplest 
signs.  By  the  similarity  of  shape  between  these  signs  and  that  of  the 
Eoman  letters,  they  become  impressed  upon  the  memory  without  diffi- 
culty. The  distribution  of  the  letters  and  numbers  into  groups  con- 
sisting of  not  more  than  four  dots,  is  shown  at  Fig.  40  (page  97). 

Printing  Telegraph  of  Alfred  Vail. 

The  printing  telegraph  of  Alfred  Yail  was  proposed  in  September, 
1837.  It  consists  of  a  type-wheel  having  on  its  surface  the  twenty- 
four  letters  of  the  alphabet.  On  the  side  of  the  wheel  are  twenty -four 
holes.  The  type-wheel  is  moved  circularly  by  means  of  a  spring  that 
the  electro -magnetic  key  causes  to  advance  at  each  interruption  and 
return  of  the  current.  The  paper  advances  under  the  type-wheel  by 
means  of  an  independent  clock  movement. 

The  precision  of  the  operation  depends  on  the  exact  correspondence 
of  the  machinery,  situated  at  the  two  extremities  of  the  telegraphic 
lines.  It  is  necessary  that  the  type-wheel  present  the  same  letter  at 
both  stations,  and  that  the  clock  move  at  the  same  rate.  But  I  believe 
that  this  system  has  never  been  put  in  execution.  I  copy  from  p.  169 
of  his  work  on  the  telegraph,  the  conclusions  he  comes  to  in  regard  to 
this  form  of  telegraph : — 

"  All  electro-magnetic  telegraphs  require  as  their  basis  the  adoption 
of  the  electro-magnet,  when  recording  the  intelligence  is  an  object,  and 
it  would  seem  must  be  applied  in  a  manner  equivalent  to  the  mode 
adopted  by  Prof.  Morse ;  that  is,  the  application  of  the  armature  to  a 
lever,  and  its  single  movement  produced  by  closing  and  breaking  the 
circuit.  It  is  therefore  safe  to  assume  that,  whatever  improvement  in 
one  plan  may  be  made  to  increase  the  rapidity  of  the  movements  of 
those  parts  of  the  telegraph  which  belong  to  the  electro-magnet,  is 


102  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

equally  applicable  to  any  other  plan,  provided  too  much  complication, 
already  existing,  does  not  counteract  and  defeat  the  improvement. 

"  Some  plans,  however,  use  an  extra  agent  besides  the  electro-magnet, 
which  is  employed  for  measuring  the  time  of  the  revolution  of  the  type- 
wheel,  and  the  electro-magnet  is  only  called  in,  occasionally,  to  make 
the  impression.  In  such  plans  the  rapidity  of  communication  demands 
the  combined  action,  alternately,  of  both  magnets.  This,  of  course,  in- 
creases the  complication,  and  must  certainly  be  considered  a  departure 
from  other  more  simple  arrangements.  Whatever  will  reduce  the  in- 
ertia of  mechanical  movements  and  bring  them  to  act  with  an  approxi- 
mate velocity,  at  least  of  the  fluid  itself,  will  increase  the  rapidity  of 
transmission.  The  more  the  instrument  is  encumbered  with  the  slug- 
gish movements  of  material  bodies,  the  less  rapid,  inevitably,  must  be 
its  operation,  even  where  several  co-operating  agents  are  assisting,  in 
their  respective  spheres,  to  increase  the  rapidity  of  the  motion.  Such 
is  the  case  with  the  several  kinds  of  letter  printing  telegraphs;  very 
weighty  bodies,  comparatively  speaking,  are  set  in  motion,  stopped, 
again  set  in  motion,  and'  along  with  this  irregular  motion,  other  parts 
perform  their  functions.  There  must  be  a  courtesy  observed  among 
themselves,  or  matters  do  not  move  on  as  harmoniously  as  could  be 
desired.  This  is  not  always  the  case,  especially  where  time  is  the  great 
question  at  issue. 

"  All  printing  telegraphs  which  use  type,  arranged  upon  the  peri- 
phery of  a  wheel,  must  have,  of  necessity,  these  several  movements, 
viz.  the  irregular  revolution  of  the  type-wheel,  stopping  and  starting 
at  every  division  or  letter ;  the  movement  of  the  machinery,  called  the 
printer ;  the  irregular  movement  of  the  paper,  at  intervals,  to  accommo- 
date itself  to  the  letter  to  be  printed ;  the  movement  of  the  inking  ap- 
paratus, or  what  is  not  an  improvement  in  cleanliness,  paper  of  the 
character  used  by  the  manifold  letter-writer.  So  many  moving  parts 
are  so  many  impeding  causes  to  increased  rapidity,  and  are,  to  all  in- 
tents and  purposes,  a  complication. 

"  The  requirements  of  a  perfect  instrument  are :  economy  of  con- 
struction, simplicity  of  arrangement  and  mechanical  movements,  and 
rapidity  of  transmission.  To  use  one  wire  is  to  reduce  it  to  the  lowest 
possible  economy.  If  there  is  but  one  movement,  and  that  has  all  the 
advantages  which  accuracy  of  construction,  simplicity  of  arrangement, 
and  lightness,  can  bestow  upon  it,  we  might  justly  infer  that  it  ap- 
peared reduced  to  its  simplest  form. 

"  The  instrument  employed  by  Prof.  Morse  has  but  a  single  move- 
ment, and  that  motion  of  a  vibratory  character ;  is  light  and  susceptible 
of  the  most  delicate  structure,  by  which  rapidity  is  insured ;  the  paper 
is  continuous  in  its  movement,  and  requires  no  aid  from  the  magnet 
to  carry  it. 

"  The  only  object  that  can  be  obtained  by  using  the  English  letters, 
instead  of  the  telegraphic  letters,  is,  that  the  one  is  in  common  use,  the 
other  is  not.  The  one  is  as  easily  read  as  the  other ;  the  advantage, 
then,  is  fanciful,  and  is  only  to  be  indulged  in  at  the  expense  of  time 
and  complication  of  machinery,  increasing  the  expense,  and  producing 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  103 

their  inevitable  accompaniments,  liability  to  derangement,  care  of  at- 
tendance, and  loss  of  time." 

Alexander's  Electric  Telegraph. 

I  copy  this  account  of  Alexander's  telegraph  from  the  London  Me- 
chanics' Magazine,  of  November,  1837,  but  it  was  copied  originally  from 
the  Scotsman,  a  paper  published  in  Edinburgh,  perhaps  a  month  be- 
fore, and  a  model  to  illustrate  the  nature  and  the  operation  of  the 
telegraphic  machine  was  exhibited  at  a  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Arts 
in  Edinburgh,  in  October,  1837. 

The  model  consists  of  a  wooden  chest,  about  five  feet  long,  three 
feet  wide,  three  feet  deep  at  the  one  end,  and  one  foot  at  the  other. 
The  width  and  depth  in  this  model  are  those  which  would  probably 
be  found  suitable  in  a  working  machine ;  but  it  will  be  understood  that 
the  length  in  the  machine  may  be  a  hundred  or  a  thousand  miles,  and 
is  limited  to  five  feet  in  the  model,  merely  for  convenience.  Thirty 
copper  wires  extend  from  end  to  end  of  the  chest,  and  are  kept  apart 
from  each  other.  At  one  end  (which  for  distinction's  sake  we  shall 
call  the  south  end)  they  are  fastened  to  a  horizontal  line  of  wooden 
keys,  precisely  similar  to  those  of  a  piano -forte ;  at  the  other,  or  north 
end,  they  terminate  closely  to  thirty  small  apertures,  equally  distributed 
in  six  rows  of  five  each  over  a  screen  of  three  feet  square,  which  forms 
the  end  of  the  chest.  Under  these  apertures,  on  the  outside,  are  painted 
in  black  paint  upon  a  white  ground  the  twenty -six  letters  of  the  alpha- 
bet, with  the  necessary  points,  the  colon,  semicolon,  and  full  point,  and 
an  asterisk  to  denote  the  termination  of  a  word.  The  letters  occupy 
spaces  about  an  inch  sqare.  The  wooden  keys  at  the  other  end  have 
also  the  letters  of  the  alphabet  painted  on  them  in  the  usual  order.  The 
wires  serve  merely  for  communication,  and  we  shall  now  describe 
the  apparatus  by  which  they  work.  This  consists,  at  the  south  end, 
of  a  pair  of  plates,  zinc  and  copper,  forming  a  galvanic  trough,  placed 
under  the  keys ;  and  at  the  north  end  of  thirty  steel  magnets,  about 
four  inches  long,  placed  close  behind  the  letters  painted  on  the  screen. 
The  magnets  move  horizontally  on  axes,  and  are  poised  within  a  flat 
ring  of  copper  wire,  formed  of  the  ends  of  the  communicating  wires. 
On  their  north  ends  they  carry  small  square  bits  of  black  paper,  which 
project  in  front  of  the  screen,  and  serve  as  opercula  or  covers  to  con- 
ceal the  letters.  'When  any  wire  is  put  in  communication  with  the 
trough  at  the  south  end,  the  galvanic  influence  is  instantly  transmitted 
to  the  north  end ;  and,  in  accordance  with  a  well-known  law  discovered 
by  (Ersted,  the  magnet  at  the  end  of  that  wire  instantly  turns  round  to 
the  right  or  left,  bearing  with  it  the  operculum  of  black  paper,  and 
unveiling  a  letter.  When  the  key  A,  for  instance,  is  pressed  down 
with  the  finger  at  the  south  end,  the  wire  attached  'to  it  is  immediately 
put  in  communication  with  the  trough ;  and  the  same  instant  the  letter 
A  at  the  north  end  is  unveiled  by  the  magnet  turning  to  the  right, 
and  withdrawing  the  operculum.  When  the  finger  is  removed  from 
the  key,  it  springs  back  to  its  place,  the  communication  with  the 


104  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

trough  ceases,  the  magnet  resumes  its  position,  and  the  letter  is  again 
covered. 

Thus,  by  pressing  down  with  the  finger,  in  succession,  the  keys  cor- 
responding to  any  word  or  name,  we  have  the  letters  forming  that 
word  or  name  exhibited  at  the  other  end ;  the  name  Victoria,  for  in- 
stance, which  was  the  maiden  effort  of  the  telegraph  on  Wednesday 
evening.  In  the  same  way  we  may  transmit  a  communication  of  any 
length,  using  an  asterisk  or  cross  to  mark  the  division  of  one  word 
from  another,  and  the  comma,  semicolon,  or  full  point,  to  make  a 
break  in  a  sentence,  or  its  close.  No  proper  experiment  was  made 
while  we  were  present  to  determine  the  time  necessary  for  this  spe- 
cies of  communication,  but  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  letters 
might  be  exhibited  almost  as  rapidly  as  a  compositor  could  set  them 
up  in  type.  Even  one-half  or  one -third  of  this  speed,  however,  would 
answer  perfectly  well. 

Galvanism,  it  is  well  known,  requires  a  complete  circuit  for  its 
operation.  You  must  not  only  carry  a  wire  to  the  place  you  mean  to 
communicate  with,  but  you  must  bring  it  back  again  to  the  trough. 
(The  writer  of  this  communication,  and  even  Mr.  Alexander,  were  not 
aware  of  the  discovery  of  Steinheil,  that  the  earth  would  conduct  so 
as  to  return  the  current  without  the  use  of  the  second  wire. — L.  T.) 
Aware  of  this,  our  first  impression  was,  that  each  letter  and  mark 
would  require  two  wires,  and  the  machine  in  these  circumstances  hav- 
ing sixty  wires  instead  of  thirty,  its  bulk  and  the  complication  of  its 
parts  would  have  been  much  increased.  This  difficulty  has  been  ob- 
viated, however,  by  a  simple  and  happy  contrivance.  Instead  of  the 
return  wires,  extending  from  the  magnet  back  to  the  keys,  they  are 
cut  short  at  the  distance  of  three  inches  from  the  magnet,  and  all  form 
a  transverse  copper  rod,  from  which  a  single  wire  passes  back  to  the 
trough,  and  serves  for  the  whole  letters.  The  telegraph,  in  this  way, 
requires  only  thirty-one  wires.  We  may  also  mention,  that  the  com- 
munication between  the  keys  and  the  trough  is  made  by  a  long  nar- 
row basin  filled  with  mercury,  into  which  the  end  of  the  wire  is 
plunged  when  the  key  is  pressed  down  with  the  finger. 

The  telegraph  thus  constructed,  operates  with  ease  and  accuracy, 
as  many  gentlemen  can  witness.  The  term  model,  which  we  have 
employed,  is  in  some  respects  a  misnomer.  It  is  the  actual  machine, 
with  all  its  essential  parts,  and  merely  circumscribed  as  to  length  by 
the  necessity  of  keeping  it  in  a  room  of  limited  dimensions.  While 
many  are  laying  claim  to  the  invention,  to  Mr.  Alexander  belongs  the 
honor  of  first  following  out  the  principle  into  all  its  details,  meeting 
every  difficulty,  completing  a  definite  plan,  and  showing  it  in  opera- 
tion. About  twenty  gentlemen,  including  some  of  the  most  eminent 
men  of  science  in  Edinburgh,  have  subscribed  a  memorial,  stating 
their  high  opinion  of  the  merits  of  the  invention,  and  expressing  their 
readiness  to  act  as  a  committee  for  conducting  experiments  upon  a 
greater  scale,  in  order  fully  to  test  its  practicability.  This  ought  to 
be  a  public  concern ;  a  machine  which  would  repeat  in  Edinburgh, 
words  spoken  in  London,  three  or  four  minutes  after  they  were  uttered, 
and  continue  the  communication  for  any  length  of  time,  by  night  or 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


105 


by  day,  and  with  the  rapidity  which  has  been  described ;  such  a  ma- 
chine reveals  a  new  power,  whose  stupendous  effects  upon  society  no 
effort  of  the  most  vigorous  imagination  can  anticipate. 

The  principle  of  Alexander's  telegraph  is  represented  in  the  follow- 
ing illustration  from  the  work  of  Alexander  Bain,  Esq.,  Fig.  42.  It 
consists  of  but  one  circuit,  so  as  to  make  the  operation  intelligible. 

Fig.  42. 


A  is  a  voltaic  battery ;  B,  a  trough  filled  with  mercury ;  C,  a  key 
to  be  pressed  down  by  the  finger  of  the  operator ;  E  is  the  end  of  a 
conducting  wire,  which  dips  into  the  mercury  when  the  key  is  de- 
pressed, and  completes  the  electric  circuit ;  DD  is  the  distant  dial  upon 
which  the  signals  are  to  be  shown ;  F  F  are  screens,  thirty  in  number, 
each  being  fixed  to  a  needle,  corresponding  to  the  finger  keys  before 
described.  When  no  electricity  is  passing,  these  screens  remain  sta- 
tionary over  the  several  letters,  &c.,  and  conceal  them  from  view ;  but 
when  a  current  is  made  to  flow  by  the  depression  of  a  key,  the  cor- 
responding needle  in  the  distant  instrument  is  deflected,  carrying  the 
screen  with  it,  and  uncovering  the  letter,  which  becomes  exposed  to 
view,  as  at  0. 

In  the  same  magazine,  there  is  an  improvement  suggested  by  a  cor- 
respondent, wrhich  is  obviously  a  good  one,  namely,  the  use  of  fifteen 
wires  to  represent  the  whole  number  of  letters,  thus :  Let  each  of  the 
letter  screens  affixed  to  the  movable  magnets  be  wide  enough  to  cover 
two  letters  ;  then  the  positive  end  of  the  galvanic  battery  being  con- 
nected with  the  inducing  wire,  by  a  touch  of  the  keys,  the  magnet  and 
screen  will  move  in  one  direction  and  discover  one  letter.  The  nega- 
tive end  of  the  battery  being  thus  connected  with  the  same  wire,  the 
magnet  will  move  in  the  contrary  direction,  and  discover  the  other 
letter.  There  must,  of  course,  be  something  fixed  to  prevent  the  mag- 
net going  so  far  in  either  direction  as  to  discover  both  letters.  The 
returning  wire  connected  with  all  the  other  thirty,  must  of  course  have 
its  connection  with  the  battery  poles  reversed  at  the  same  time  as  the 


106  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

lettered  wire.  To  prevent  oscillation,  let  each  wire  act  upon  two  mag-» 
nets  and  screens,  one  magnet  and  screen  moving  in  one  direction,  but 
prevented  from  moving  in  the  other  as  now.  The  current  of  electri- 
city, if  reversed,  would,  on  account  of  this  prevention,  not  move  this 
magnet  and  screen  in  the  opposite  direction,  but  it  might  the  other 
magnet  and  screen,  having  a  similar  stop  or  prevention,  but  placed  on 
the  other  side  of  the  pole. 

Davy's  Needle  and  Lamp  Telegraph. 

This  telegraph  is  called  the  needle  and  lamp  telegraph,  to  distin- 
guish it  from  the  telegraph  of  Edward  Davy,  which  I  will  describe. 

"  There  is  a  case,  which  may  serve  as  a  desk  to  use  in  writing  down 
the  intelligence  conveyed  ;  and  in  this  there  is  an  aperture  about  six- 
teen inches  long  and  three  or  four  wide,  facing  the  eyes,  perfectly  dark. 
On  this  the  signals  appear  as  luminous  letters,  or  combinations  of  let- 
ters, with  a  neatness  and  rapidity  almost  magical.  The  field  of  view 
is  so  confined,  that  the  signals  can  be  easily  caught  and  copied  down 
without  the  necessity  even  of  turning  the  head.  Attention,  in  the 
first  instance,  is  called  by  three  strokes  on  a  little  bell ;  the  termina- 
tion of  each  word  is  indicated  by  a  single  stroke.  There  is  not  the 
slightest  difficulty  in  deciphering  what  is  intended  to  be  communi- 
cated. 

"  In  front  of  the  oblong  trough,  or  box,  described  by  your  corre- 
spondent, a  lamp  is  placed,  and  that  side  of  the  box  next  the  lamp  is 
of  ground  glass,  through  which  the  light  is  transmitted  for  the  pur- 
pose of  illuminating  the  letters.  The  oblong  box  is  open  at  the  top, 
but  a  plate  of  glass  is  interposed  between  the  letters  and  the  spectator, 
through  which  the  latter  reads  off  the  letters  as  they  are  successively 
exposed  to  his  view.  At  the  opposite  side  of  the  room,  a  small  key- 
board is  placed  (similar  to  that  of  a  piano-forte,  but  smaller),  fur- 
nished with  twelve  keys ;  eight  of  these  have  each  three  letters  of  the 
alphabet  on  their  upper  surfaces,  marked  A,  B,  C ;  D,  E,  F ;  and  so 
on.  By  depressing  these  keys  in  various  ways,  the  signals  or  letters 
are  produced  at  the  opposite  desk,  as  previously  described ;  how  this 
is  effected  is  not  described  by  the  inventor,  as  he  intimated  that  the 
construction  of  certain  parts  of  the  apparatus  must  remain  SECRET. 

"  By  the  side  of  the  key -board,  there  is  placed  a  small  galvanic  bat- 
tery, from  which  proceeds  the  wire,  25  yards  in  length,  passing  round 
the  room.  Along  this  wire  the  shock  is* passed,  and  operates  upon 
that  part  of  the  apparatus  which  discloses  the  letters  or  signal.  The 
shock  is  distributed  as  follows :  The  underside  of  the  signal  keys  is 
each  furnished  with  a  small  projecting  piece  of  wire,  which,  on  de- 
pressing the  keys,  is  made  to  enter  a  small  vessel,  filled  with  mercury, 
placed  under  the  outer  ends  of  the  row  of  keys ;  a  shock  is  instantly 
communicated  along  the  wire,  and  a  letter,  or  signal,  is  as  instantly 
disclosed  in  the  oblong  box.  By  attentively  looking  at  the  effect  pro- 
duced, it  appeared  as  if  a  dark  slide  were  withdrawn,  thereby  disclos- 
ing the  illuminated  letter.  A  slight  vibration  of  the  (apparent)  slide, 
occasionally  obscuring  the  letter,  indicated  a  great  delicacy  of  action 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  107 

in  this  part  of  the  contrivance,  and  although  not  distinctly  pointed  out 
by  the  inventor,  is  to  be  accounted  for  in  the  following  manner :  When 
the  two  ends  of  the  wire  of  the  galvanic  apparatus  are  brought  to- 
gether, over  a  compass-needle,  the  position  of  the  needle  is  immedi- 
ately turned,  at  right  angles,  to  its  former  position ;  and  again,  if  the 
needle  is  placed  with  the  north  point  southward,  and  the  ends  of  the 
wire  again  brought  over  it,  the  needle  is  again  forced  round  to  a  posi- 
tion at  right  angles  to  its  original  one.  Thus  it  would  appear  that 
the  slide  or  cover  over  the  letters  is  poised  similarly  to  the  common 
needle,  and  that,  by  the  depression  of  the  keys,  a  shock  is  given  in 
such  a  way  as  to  cause  a  motion  from  right  to  left,  and  vice  versa,  dis- 
closing those  letters,  immediately,  under  the  needle  so  operated  upon." 
— London  Mech.  Mag.  vol.  xxviii.  1837. 

Masson's  Magneto- Electric  Telegraph. 

In  1837,  Prof.  Masson,  of  Caen,  addressed  a  letter  to  the  French 
Academy,  in  which  he  announced  that  he  had  made  several  trials  with 
a  magneto-electric  telegraph,  for  the  distance  of  1,800  feet.  He  em- 
ployed, for  the  development  of  the  current,  the  magneto -electric  ma- 
chine of  Pixii,  to  produce  the  deflection  of  magnetic  needles  placed  at 
the  extremities  of  the  circuits.  These  trials  were  repeated  in  October, 
1838,  with  Briquet,  who  was  at  that  time  one  of  the  members  of  the 
Commission  on  the  Telegraph  from  Paris  to  Kouen,  but  the  results 
obtained  were  not  as  satisfactory  as  those  of  Steinheil,  Morse,  and 
others ;  afterwards  Masson  and  Brdquet  associated  themselves  together, 
and  invented  a  new  form  of  telegraph,  a  description  of  which  is  not 
given. — Moigno,  Traite  de  Telegraphie,  p.  30. 

Amy  of  s  Telegraph. 

In  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Academy  of  Science  of  Paris,  in  July, 
1838,  Amyot  proposed  the  construction  of  a  needle  telegraph.  It  was 
to  consist  of  a  single  circuit,  which  would  move  a  single  needle,  which 
needle  was  to  write  on  paper,  with  mathematical  precision,  the  corre- 
spondence which  was  to  be  transmitted  to  the  other  extremity,  by  a 
simple  wheel,  on  which  it  should  be  written  by  means  of  points  dif- 
ferently spaced,  the  same  as  they  are  on  the  barrels  of  portable  organs, 
the  wheels  to  be  regulated  by  clock-work. — Moigno,  p.  31. 

Edward  Davy's  Tele-graph. 

The  next  telegraph  in  chronological  order  is  that  of  Mr.  Edward 
Davy,  of  London.  The  patent  for  this  telegraph  was  sealed  July, 
1838,  and  published  in  the  Repertory  of  Patent  Inventions,  London, 
July,  1839.  The  specifications  are  very  voluminous,  and  not  very  in- 
telligible. I  have  therefore  studied  it  carefully,  and  have  given  the 
important  points,  and  a  drawing,  which  fully  illustrates  the  improve- 
ments which  Davy  proposed,  being  careful  not  to  omit  any  vital  part 
of  his  machine.  In  this  method  of  treating  it,  I  have  followed  the 


108  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

examples  of  Moigno  and  Shellen,  two  of  the  latest  writers  upon  the 
subject  of  the  history  of  the  telegraph. 

In  the  telegraph  of  Edward  Davy,  the  decomposing  action  of  the 
galvanic  current  is  employed  to  produce  marks  upon  chemically  pre- 
pared cloth  or  other  material ;  the  cloth  preferred  by  the  inventor  was 
calico,  and  the  chemical  substance  employed  by  him  to  prepare  the 
cloth  was  a  solution  of  the  iodide  of  potassium  and  muriate  of  lime. 

He  employed  a  local  battery  to  produce  the  telegraphic  signs  by 
chemical  decomposition.  This  battery  also  operated  an  electro-mag- 
net, whose  armature  regulated  the  movement  of  the  registering  instru- 
ment. This  battery  is  also  connected  with  a  short  independent  circuit, 
which  is  closed  and  opened  by  the  movement  of  a  magnetic  needle, 
surrounded  by  a  coil  of  copper  wire,  which  forms  part  of  the  main 
circuit.  He  employed  finger-keys  to  open  and  close  the  circuit ;  his 
receiving  instrument  being  similar  in  principle  to  Cooke  and  Wheat- 
stone's,  only  closing  his  circuit  like  Mr.  Morse,  by  the  contact  of  solid 
metals  instead  of  mercury.  When  the  main  circuit  is  closed  by  the 
finger-keys  the  needle  is  deflected,  which  closes  the  short  circuit ;  but 
when  the  main  current  is  interrupted,  the  needle  opens  the  short  cir- 
cuit by  returning  to  its  original  position. 

The  cloth  or  other  chemically  prepared  material  is  drawn  between  a 
metallic  cylinder  and  a  series  of  platinum  rings  surrounding  a  wooden 
cylinder ;  by  these  rings  the  current  from  a  local  battery  is  passed 
through  the  chemically  prepared  cloth  to  the  metallic  cylinder  beneath, 
producing  signs  consisting  of  simple  dashes  arranged  in  six  rows.  The 
calico  is  moved  by  clock-work,  and  this  clock-work  is  regulated  by  a 
U  electro-magnet,  with  an  armature  and  lever,  which  at  each  motion 
withdraws  the  stop  from  a  fly-wheel  for  the  space  of  a  semi -re  volution, 
during  which  a  single  sign  is  made  upon  the  calico,  the  clock-work 
moving  always  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  signs  transmitted.  The 
platinum  rings  were  so  arranged  as  to  be  connected  separately  or  to- 
gether, at  will,  with  the  other  poles  of  the  battery,  but  insulated  from 
each  other. 

In  his  patent  three  telegraphic  wires  are  represented,  which  are 
made  by  means  of  his  commutator  to  connect  a  local  circuit  with  either 
of  the  six  platinum  rings,  so  as  to  simplify  the  system  of  marking  ne- 
cessary to  form  the  signs  for  the  different  letters  of  the  alphabet. 

There  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  Davy  was  informed  of  the  telegraphs 
of  Morse  and  Steinheil,  by  the  following  remarks  at  page  12  of  his 
Specifications : — 

"  I  am  aware  that  it  has  been  proposed  to  use  a  marking  instrument 
with  lead  or  ink,  by  the  aid  of  an  electro-magnet,  to  make  a  number 
of  dots  or  marks  in  immediate  succession,  to  indicate  the  signification 
of  such  communication  ;  I  do  not,  therefore,  claim  the  use  of  marking 
instruments  generally,  but  only  when  they  are  adapted  to  make  com- 
munications by  marks  across  and  lengthwise  of  the  fabric  which  re- 
ceives them,  as  above  described." 

The  most  ingenious  portion  is  the  escapement.  The  figure  repre- 
sents the  principle  of  the  escapement  and  the  electro-magnet.  A  is 
the  voltaic  battery ;  B,  lever ;  N,  metallic  button,  to  which  is  fixed  the 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


109 


wire  conductor  of  the  battery ;  C,  an  electro-magnet ;  D,  the  armature ; 
I  is  a  clock-weight ;  H,  the  band  of  the  wheel  that  carries  the  revolving 
cylinder  of  the  signs  K ;  Gr  is  a  van  or  regulator  of  motion ;  E,  a  pair 
of  pallets  fixed  to  the  armature  D.  On  the  side  opposite  the  axis  of  motion 
is  fixed  a  spring,  F,  to  separate  the  armature  from  the  electro-magnet, 
by  which  the  electric  current  is  broken,  and  magnetism  destroyed. 
The  arrangement  is  such  that,  for  every  revolution  of  the  van  G,  the 
cylinder  K  advances  one  division,  and  a  letter  is  impressed.  If  the 
lever  B  rests  against  the  metallic  button  N,  the  metallic  circuit  of  the 
voltaic  battery  is  immediately  established,  the  electric  current  passes 
along  the  conducting  wires  of  the  electro-magnet  C,  which  instantly 
attracts  the  armature  D,  forces  the  superior  pallet  E  to  abandon  the 
lever  O,  and  permits  the  van  to  turn.  As  soon  as  it  turns  half  a  re- 
volution, it  is  arrested  by  the  inferior  pallet,  against  which  the  lever 

Fig.  43. 


touches.  The  contact  of  this  lever  being  abandoned,  the  voltaic  cir- 
cuit is  instantly  broken,  magnetism  destroyed,  and  the  spring  F  leaves 
the  armature  in  its  first  position.  This  movement  lowers  the  inferior 
pallet,  sets  at  liberty  the  lever  0,  and  the  second  half  of  a  revolution 
is  performed,  bringing  it  into  a  new  position,  and  arrests  it  against  the 
lever  0,  or  superior  pallet.  For  each  complete  revolution  a  character 
successively  appears.  The  operation  of  successively  elevating  and 
depressing  the  key,  gives  the  cylinder  of  signs  a  circular  motion,  in 
the  same  manner  that  the  hand  of  a  clock  is  made  to  revolve  by  means 
of  balancing  and  escapement.  On  some  cotton  fabric  are  some  longi- 
tudinal lines,  intersected  by  transverse  ones,  dividing  the  surface  into 
little  squares.  It  is  impregnated  with  iodide  of  potassium  and  muriate 
of  lime,  and  wound  on  a  cylinder  that  turns  by  a  weight  at  each  mag- 
netic pulsation.  The  current  traverses  this  prepared  material,  and 
leaves  a  well  marked  trace  in  the  square  indicated  by  the  touch  of  the 
director.  The  position  of  the  square  in  the  network  marked  on  the 
stuff,  determines  the  letter  or  signal.  This  mode  requires  seven  or 
eight  lines,  and  has  never  been  put  in  practical  operation,  though 
patented  in  January,  1839. 

The  following  are  the  claims  in  full,  as  given  in  the  original  publi- 
cation : — 


110  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

"  First.  The  mode  of  obtaining  suitable  metallic  circuits  for  trans- 
mitting communications  or  signals  by  electric  currents,  by  means  of 
two  or  more  wires,  which  I  have  called  signal-wires,  communicating 
with  a  common  communicating-wire,  and  each  of  the  'signal- wires 
having  a  separate  battery,  and,  if  desired,  additional  batteries,  for 
giving  a  preponderance  of  electric  currents  through  the  common  com- 
municating-wire, as  above  described. 

'  "  Secondly.  I  claim  the  employment  of  suitably  prepared  fabrics  for 
receiving  marks  by  the  action  of  electric  currents  for  recording  tele- 
graphic signals,  signs  or  communications,  whether  the  same  be  used 
with  the  apparatus  above  described  or  otherwise. 

"  Thirdly.  I  claim  the  mode  of  receiving  signs  or  marks  in  rows 
across  and  lengthwise  of  the  fabric,  as  herein  described. 

"Fourthly.  I  claim  the  mode  of  making  telegraphic  signals  or 
communications  from  one  distant  place  to  another,  by  the  employ- 
ment of  relays  of  metallic  circuits,  brought  into  operation  by  electric 
currents. 

"  Fifthly.  The  adapting  and  arranging  of  metallic  circuits  in  making 
telegraphic  communications  or  signals,  by  electric  currents,  in  such 
manner  that  the  person  making  the  communication  shall,  by  electric 
currents  and  suitable  apparatus,  regulate  or  determine  the  place  to 
which  the  signals  or  communications  shall  be  conveyed. 

"  Sixthly.  I  claim  the  mode  of  constructing  the  apparatus  which  I 
have  called  the  escapement,  whether  it  be  applied  in  the  manner 
shown,  or  for  other  purposes,  where  electric  currents  are  used  for  com- 
municating from  one  place  to  another. 

"Seventhly.  I  claim  the  mode  of  constructing  the  galvanometer 
herein  described. 

"  And  lastly.  I  claim  such  parts  as  I  have  herein  pointed  out  as 
being  useful  for  other  purposes,  as  above  described." — Repertory  of 
Patent  Inventions,  July,  1839. 

Bairis  Printing  Telegraph. 

The  following  extract  of  a  letter  is  taken  from  a  work  entitled  "An 
Account  of  some  Eemarkable  Applications  of  the  Electric  Fluid  to  the 
Useful  Arts,  by  Alexander  Bain:  edited  by  John  Finlaison,  Esq., 
London,  1843,"  which  gives  us  the  date  of  Mr.  Bain's  first  telegraph. 

"PERCIVAL  STREET,  Clerkenwell,  Aug.  28,  1842. 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  I  recollect  visiting  you  early  in  June,  1840,  when  you 
showed  me  a  model  of  your  electro -magnetic  telegraph. 

"KOBEET  C.  PINKERTOK" 

In  July,  1841,  it  was  exhibited  and  lectured  on  at  the  Polytechnic 
Institution,  London.  It  consists  of  three  principal  parts. 

1.  The  rotary  motion  given  to  the  type-wheel,  step  by  step  motion, 
like  the  second-hand  of  a  clock,  until  the  required  letter  arrives  oppo- 
site the  paper. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  1 11 

2.  The  means  of  inking  the  types,  or  otherwise  making  permanent 
the  imprint  of  the  types  upon  the  paper. 

3.  The  motion  communicated  to  the  paper,  so  as  to  bring  a  fresh 
surface  under  the  types,  and  receive  the  printed  intelligence  in  a  con- 
tinuous spiral  line,  until  the  book  is  filled. 

He  uses  wire  coils  freely,  suspended  on  centres,  for  electro-magnets. 
These  coils,  within  and  in  the  vicinity  of  which  are  fixed  powerful  per- 
manent magnets,  are  deflected  as  long  as  the  electrical  current  is  pass- 
ing through  them ;  but  when  the  electric  current  is  broken,  they  are 
drawn  upwards  by  the  force  of  the  spiral  springs,  the  levers  are  released, 
and  the  machinery  of  the  telegraph,  worked  by  main-springs,  is  left 
free  to  rotate.  The  only  battery  proposed  by  Mr.  Bain  is  a  pair  of 
copper  and  zinc  plates,  one  of  which  is  to  be  buried  in  the  earth  at  one 
station,  and  the  other  at  the  distant  station,  where  there  is  to  be  a  tele- 
graph the  exact  counterpart  of  the  first. 

I  have  considered  it  entirely  unnecessary  to  give  a  drawing  of  this 
telegraph,  as  it  never  could  be  of  very  great  service ;  and  as  to  the 
form  of  battery,  it  was  entirely  out  of  the  question.  The  best  evidence 
of  this  was,  that  an  entire  change  was  made  in  it  by  Mr.  Bain,  in  1846, 
a  description  and  drawing  of  which  will  be  found  in  my  article  on 
Galvanic  or  Electro-Chemical  Telegraphs. 

I  find  in  the  same  work  the  following  account  of  some  interesting  ex- 
periments on  the  earth  as  a  source  of  permanent  voltaic  electricity  : — 

"In  prosecuting  some  experiments  with  an  electro -magnetic  sound- 
ing apparatus,  in  the  year  1841,  it  was  found  that  if  the  conducting 
wires  were  not  perfectly  insulated  from  the  water  in  which  they  were 
immersed,  the  attractive  power  of  the  electro -magnet  did  not  entirely 
cease  where  the  circuit  was  broken.  For  the  purpose  of  investigating 
the  nature  of  this  phenomenon,  a  series  of  experiments  took  place, 
with  great  lengths  of  wire,  in  the  reservoir  of  water  at  the  Polytechnic 
Institution,  when  similar  results  were  obtained.  While  reflecting  upon 
these  experiments,  some  few  months  after  they  had  been  performed, 
Mr.  Bain  was  led  to  infer,  that  if  a  surface  of  positive  metal  was 
attached  to  one  end  of  a  conducting  wire,  and  an  equal  surface  of 
negative  metal  to  the  other  end,  and  the  two  metallic  surfaces  put  into 
water,  or  into  the  moist  earth  (the  wire  being  properly  insulated),  an 
electric  current  would  be  established  in  the  wire." 

This  proposition  was  soon  tested  by  experiment.  A  surface  of  zinc 
was  buried  in  the  moist  earth,  in  Hyde  Park,  and  at  rather  more  than 
a  mile  distance  a  copper  surface  was  similarly  deposited ;  the  two 
metals  were  connected  by  a  wire  suspended  on  the  railing,  and  on 
placing  a  galvanometer  in  the  circuit,  an  electric  current  was  pro- 
duced, which  passed  through  the  intervening  mass  of  earth  from  one 
plate  to  the  other,  and  returned  by  the  wire.  In  the  first  experiment, 
the  metallic  surfaces  being  small,  the  electric  current  produced  was 
feeble ;  but  on  using  a  large  surface  of  metal,  a  corresponding  increase 
in  the  energy  of  the  current  was  obtained,  with  which  an  electrotype 
process  was  conducted,  and  various  electro-magnetic  experiments  per- 
formed with  universal  success. 

It  is  essential  to  success,  that  the  earth  wherein  the  plates  of  metal 


112  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

are  deposited  should  be  of  a  moist  nature.  A  current  has,  indeed,  been 
obtained  in  dry  soil,  but  of  such  small  energy  as  to  be  of  no  practical 
utility. 

A  patent  was  solicited  for  the  application  of  this  mode  of  produc- 
ing electric  currents  to  his  printing  telegraph,  and  obtained  in  April, 
1841. 

This  form  of  battery  could  never  have  been  of  any  useful  applica- 
tion to  great  distances,  without  an  increase  of  the  number  of  plates  and 
of  the  exciting  fluid. 

Sturgeon's  Electro- Magnetic  Telegraph. 

In  the  Annals  of  Electricity  for  October,  1840,  are  published  a  de- 
scription and  drawings  of  a  form  of  electro-magnetic  telegraph  proposed 
by  William  Sturgeon,  of  London,  a  man  who  has  by  his  numerous 
experiments  and  researches  into  the  subject  of  electricity  and  magnet- 
ism, conferred  signal  benefits  on  these  important  sciences,  and  has 
not  received  the  full  award  of  merit  even  from  his  own  countrymen. 
The  publication  of  the  Annals  of  Electricity  alone  deserves  the  thanks 
of  all  interested  in  these  important  subjects,  containing  as  they  do 
a  mass  of  valuable  information  not  to  be  found  elsewhere  in  our  lan- 
guage. 

"  In  describing  a  new  electro-magnetic  telegraph,  I  am  necessarily 
impelled  by  a  similar  feeling  to  that  which  urged  my  predecessors  to 
bring  their  respective  inventions  before  the  public;  and  I  cannot  resist 
the  idea  that  there  will  be  found  a  peculiar  simplicity  both  in  the 
structure  and  management  of  the  telegraph  I  am  about  to  describe. 
Indeed,  I  shall  point  out  the  structure  of  two  distinct  telegraphs, 
having  the  sign  common  to  both.  Also,  a  third,  differing  very  mate- 
rially from  the  other  two. 

"  In  one  of  these  telegraphs  I  use  six  soft  iron  bars,  bent  into  the 
form  of  horseshoe  magnets,  and  covered  with  copper  wire  spirals,  in 
the  usual  way,  for  converting  them  into  occasional  magnets  by  electric 
currents.  To  each  magnet  is  a  short  bar  of  soft  iron  for  a  keeper  or 
crosspiece,  which  is  attached  to  the  shorter  arm  of  a  lever  of  the  first 
order ;  and  to  the  extremity  of  the  longer  arm  of  the  lever  is  attached 
a  circular  card.  The  arrangement  of  one  of  these  pieces  of  apparatus 
is  shown  by  Figs.  45  and  46,  the  former  being  a  side  view,  and  the 
latter  an  end  view  of  it ;  m,  in  both  figures,  represents  the  magnet,  i 
the  crosspiece,  a  b  the  lever,  and  /  the  fulcrum.  The  cards  at  the 
longer  extremities  of  the  six  levers  are  numbered  1,  2,  3,  4, 5,  6,  which, 
individually,  and  by  a  series  of  simple  combinations,  form  all  the  sig- 
nals that  are  required. 

"  When  the  levers  are  in  the  position  shown  in  Figs.  45  and  46,  the 
magnet  is  out  of  action,  in  consequence  of  the  battery  circuit  being  in- 
terrupted. If,  now,  the  battery  circuit  were  to  be  closed,  the  magnet 
ra  would  immediately  be  brought  into  action,  and  its  attractive  force 
would  bring  down  the  crosspiece  i'  which,  being  attached  to  the 
shorter  arm  of  the  lever,  would  raise  the  longer  arm,  with  its  card  and 
sign,  into  the  position  of  the  upper  dotted  circle,  where  it  becomes 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


113 


visible  through  a  circular  opening  in  the  face  of  the  instrument,  as  at 
(5)  in  Fig.  44.     When  that  particular  sign  has  appeared  the  required 

Fig.  44. 


o 

© 

O 

O 

© 

0 

i 

2 

8 

4 

5 

6 

= 

a  12 
b  13 
d  14 
e  15 
/  16 
9 

= 

h  23 
i  24 
k  25 
I  26 
m 

=  n 

=  0 
=z  p 
=  1 

34 
35 
30 

r  = 

s  = 

45  =  u 
46  =  w 

56  =  x 

time  to  be  observed,  that  battery  circuit  is  opened,  the  magnet  m  loses 
its  power,  and  the  longer  arm  of  the  lever  preponderating,  again  falls 
down  to  its  first  position,  and  the  card  with  its  sign  disappears. 

"  The  face  or  dial  of  the  telegraph  is  represented  by  Fig.  44,  which 
may  be  either  of  painted  wood  or  metal,  silvered  in  the  manner  of 
clock  faces,  or  barometer  scales.  On  the  upper  part  of  the  dial  there 
are  six  circular  openings,  for  the  occasional  appearance  of  the  cards, 
with  their  figures,  which  are  attached  to  the  longer  arms  of  the  six 
levers.  (See  Fig.  45.)  Below  the  circular  openings  in  the  dial-plate, 
there  are  arranged  the  signals  which  are  to  represent  all  the  alphabeti- 
cal letters  that  are  necessary  for  the  spelling  of  words.  The  signals 
are  thus  continually  before  the  eyes  of  the  operator,  and  are  too  simple 
to  miss  being  understood.  These  levers,  with  their  magnets,  &c.,  Figs. 
45  and  46,  are  placed  behind  the  dial  in  a  suitable  case,  and  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  figures  on  the  cards  may  appear  at  the  circular  open- 
ings whenever  their  levers  move  upwards  by  the  attractions  of  their 
respective  magnets  at  the  other,  or  shorter  arms ;  and  to  disappear 
below  those  circular  openings,  when  the  magnets  are  out  of  action. 
To  accomplish  this  latter  effect,  the  face  of  the  crosspiece  of  iron, 
which  is  attached  to  the  short  arm  of  each  lever,  must  be  covered  by 
a  card,  or  a  film  of  some  non-ferruginous  matter,  which  will  prevent 
close  contact  of  the  iron  and  magnet.  By  this  arrangement  of  the 
apparatus,  it  is  a  matter  of  no  consequence  in  what  way  the  magnetic 
poles  are  arranged,  because  the  attraction  of  the  crosspieces,  attached 
to  the  shorter  arms  of  the  levers,  will  take  place  as  well  with  one  ar- 
rangement as  with  another.  But  for  uniformity,  we  will  suppose  that 
the  coils  on  the  magnets  are  all  of  the  same  kind,  and  that  the  north 
poles  are  to  be  in  one  and  the  same  direction,  towards  the  left  hand, 
8 


114  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

for  instance,  to  a  person  facing  them,  then  those  extremities  of  all  the 
coil  wires  which  were  situated  in  one  direction,  might  be  collected 
together  in  one  bundle,  and  either  continued  to  the  station  where  the 
battery  is  situated,  or  soldered  to  one  stout  copper  conductor,  at  some 
short  distance  from  the  magnets,  which  conductor  would  become  a 
*  general  fixed  channel  between  all  the  magnets  at  this  station,  and  the 
battery  at  the  other  station.  The  other  six  ends  of  coil  wires  must  be 
insulated  by  silk  covering,  and  continued  to  the  battery  without  me- 
tallic contact  with  each  other.  At  the  battery  station  these  six  in- 
sulated wires  are  to  be  attached  to  six  wooden  or  ivory  keys  with 
springs,  like  the  keys  and  springs  of  a  piano-forte ;  by  the  downward 
motion  of  which,  the^extremities  of  the  wires  become  immersed  in  a 
long  trough  of  mercury,  connected  with  the  opposite  pole  of  the  bat- 
tery to  that  which  the  other  conductor  is  attached  to.  On  the  top  of 
each  key  is  to  be  a  conspicuous  figure,  corresponding  to  the  figure 
which  is  to  appear  in  the  dial-plate  at  the  other  station,  so  that  when 
one  finger  is  placed  on  key  2,  and  another  finger  on  key  5,  the 
magnets  2  and  5  at  the  other  station  are  brought  into  play,  and  by  at- 
tracting their  respective  pieces  of  iron,  the  figures  2  5  make  their  ap- 
pearance on  the  dial  as  seen  in  Fig.  44,  and  the  letter  p  is  understood. 
By  these  means,  twenty-one  of  the  letters  of  the  alphabet  can  easily 
be  represented  without  a  possibility  of  error,  either  in  the  manipula- 
tion at  the  one  station,  or  in  the  reading  at  the  other ;  unless,  indeed, 
there  be  a  deficiency  of  attention  which  would  incapacitate  the  at- 
tendants for  employment  at  any  telegraph  whatever. 

"  The  keys  of  this  telegraph  are  sufficiently  near  to  each  other  to 
permit  the  fingers  to  press  on  any  number  of  them  at  one  time,  and  if 
necessary,  the  whole  of  the  magnets  may  be  brought  into  play  at  once, 
by  the  application  of  three  fingers  of  each  hand  to  the  keys.  By 
these  means,  the  numerals  may  be  grouped  into  combinations  of  three, 
four,  five,  and  six,  and  thus,  without  the  slightest  confusion,  a  consider- 
able number  of  signals  would  be  obtained,  which  might  represent 
words,  or  whole  sentences,  which  would  greatly  expedite  the  trans- 
mission of  intelligence  from  one  end  of  the  line  to  the  other. 

"  There  is  a  very  great  advantage  in  employing  the  numerals  for  sig- 
nals. Not  only  because  they  are  not  so  liable  to  lead  to  confusion  as 
by  the  employment  of  the  alphabetical  letters  when  used  in  combina- 
tions or  groups,  but  because  the  subject  of  communication  may  be 
kept  a  perfect  secret  from  one  end  of  the  line  to  the  other  ;  which  is  a 
most  essential  consideration  in  government  expresses,  and  very  often 
in  those  of  mercantile  affairs  also. 

"In  this  telegraph  a  seventh  magnet  is  employed  to  ring  a  warning 
bell,  as  first  proposed  by  Professor  Steinheil. 

"Although  in  the  telegraph  already  described  I  employ  soft  iron 
magnets  and  levers  to  bring  the  signals  into  view,  I  am  of  opinion  that 
magnetic  needles  in  coiled  conductors,  or  electro-magnetic  multipliers, 
will  be  somewhat  more  prompt  in  their  motions  than  the  lever,  at  great 
distances  from  the  battery.  I  therefore  propose  to  make  the  necessary 
signals  by  means  of  magnetic  needles,  which  can  be  moved  with  the 
same  arrangement  of  conductors  as  that  already  described.  And  al- 


THE  ELECTROMAGNETIC  TELEGKAPH.  115 

though  I  have  only  used  six  numerals  for  the  signals,  I  am  very  far 
from  supposing  that  the  working  of  an  electro-magnetic  telegraph  is 
facilitated  or  simplified  by  using  a  small  number  of  original  signals,  or 
by  having  a  small  number  of  conductors.  The  simplest  method  of 
spelling  words  would  be  to  have  a  needle  for  each  letter  of  the  alphabet, 
and  the  telegraph  could  be  made  and  worked  as  easily  by  24  needles  as 
by  a  smaller  number.  And  the  words  and  sentences,  which  could  be 
signified  by  combining  them  in  pairs,  or  in  groups  of  two  each,  would 
afford  great  facilities  for  the  rapid  transmission  of  ideas  from  one  end 
of  the  line  to  the  other.  The  needles  could  be  placed  in  three  hori- 
zontal rows,  one  above  another,  on  a  vertical  dial- plate. 

Fig.  47. 


T' 

li 

/j       ,- 

t'             ,  O         \ 
t  "t 

•  f  ts 

r 

\fO 

"  I  have  shown  a  dial-plate  in  Fig.  47,  on  which  are  placed  10  needles, 
with  their  respective  figures  or  signs.  As  the  needles  can  be  deflected 
in  only  one  direction,  viz.  with  the  north  end  towards  the  figure 
which  belongs  to  it,  there  can  be  no  mistake  in  understanding  what 
sign  is  to  be  understood.  I  believe  that  any  of  these  telegraphs  will 
be  found  much  simpler  than  those  already  before  the  public.  They 
are  capable  of  producing  many  more  signs  than  any  other  known,  and 
may  be  made  at  a  less  expense." 

The  House  Printing  Telegraph. 

This  instrument  has  been  appropriately  termed  one  of  the  wonders 
of  the  age ;  its  apparent  intricacy  of  construction  arises  not  so  much 
from  the  use  of  electricity  and  magnetism,  as  from  the  number  of  mi- 
nute physical  contrivances,  and  the  various  methods  by  which  they  are 
brought  into  action. 

Of  the  origin  and  life  of  the  inventor,  Mr.  Royal  B.  House,  it  seems 
difficult  to  obtain  any  definite  or  conclusive  information ;  while  the 
results  of  his  labors  are  spread  before  the  public,  form  a  prominent 
object  of  its  curiosity,  and  are  made  subservient  in  a  high  degree  to  its 
utility,  the  man  himself  seems  almost  a  recluse,  and  veiled,  as  it  were, 
from  the  sight  of  the  world.  If  some  tell  us  that  he  originated  in  New 
York,  more  authentic  sources  affirm  that  he  was  born  and  reared  among 
the  Green  Mountains  of  Vermont.  To  the  Green  Mountain  State,  then, 
may  we  ascribe  the  honor  of  having  given  birth  to  one  who  has 
achieved  so  much  in  the  progress  of  American  artisan  ship. 

To  converse  and  carry  on  intelligent  discourse  at  the  distance  of 
many  hundreds  of  miles,  is  not  new ;  nay,  it  has  become  common ;  but 
to  impress  with  the  subtile  electric  spark  through  vast  space,  solid 
materials  with  the  symbols  of  our  language  in  the  fulness  of  their  pro- 


116  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

portionate  beauty ;  to  make  the  cold,  dull,  inanimate  steel  speak  to  us 
in  our  own  tongue,  surpasses  the  mythological  narratives  of  ancient 
Greece  and  Rome,  throws  into  the  shade  the  fabulous  myths  of  super- 
stitious Arabia,  and  sinks  into  insignificance  the  time-honored  tradi- 
tions of  the  Oriental  World. 

A  letter,  dated  Boston,  Dec.  23,  1850,  received  in  reply  to  some  in- 
quiries relative  to  Mr.  House,  affords  the  following  interesting  infor- 
mation: "Mr.  House  is  a  self-educated  man,  and  was  engaged  nearly 
six  years  in  perfecting  his  instrument ;  he  is  decidedly  scientific,  but 
not  learned,  having  devoted  much  attention  to  electricity  and  its  kin- 
dred sciences ;  observing  the  property  of  a  helix  or  coil  of  wire  to 
attract  an  iron  bar  to  its  centre,  he  proceeded  to  make  some  practical 
application  of  the  fact,  and  succeeded  in  constructing  what  is  termed 
an  axial  magnet ;  his  principal  object  then,  was  the  construction  of  a 
machine  adapted  for  its  use,  which  he  fabricated  after  many  attempts 
and  much  perseverance. 

"  Such  is  the  cast  of  his  intellect,  that  he  could  form  the  entire  object 
in  his  mind,  and  retain  it  there  until  he  had  completed  its  whole  ar- 
rangement, without  committing  anything  to  paper;  somewhat  abstract 
in  disposition,  he  is  careless  about  money,  little  communicative  con- 
cerning himself,  capable  of  long  protracted  thought,  and  completely  ab- 
sorbed in  his  hobby,  the  telegraph ;  to  such  an  extent  is  this  abstrac- 
tion carried,  that  he  often  forgets  his  most  faithful  and  punctilious 
business  promises,  and  when  sought  after  to  comply  with  them,  is 
found  investigating  some  interesting  object  of  science,  or  deeply  en- 
grossed in  thought ;  even  with  particular  friends  he  is  very  reserved 
about  himself. 

"  From  some  affection  of  the  eyes,  he  was  confined  to  his  dwelling  dur- 
ing most  of  the  time  spent  in  contriving  his  instrument ;  he  resides  at 
present  in  New  York.  An  application  was  made  for  a  patent  in  1845 
or  '46,  but  it  was  refused  on  the  ground  that  some  of  the  specifica- 
tions clashed  with  those  of  Mr.  Morse ;  one,  however,  was  granted  in 
October  or  November  of  1848,  to  date  from  April  18,  1846." 

The  stations  between  which  communications  are  conveyed  are  con- 
nected by  means  of  a  circuit  composed  of  one  conducting  wire  (see  J, 
Fig.  48)  and  the  ground ;  the  wire  is  insulated,  to  prevent  escape  of 
the  electric  fluid ;  they  were  formerly  made  of  twisted  wire,  and  wound 
around  glass  knobs ;  thus  exposed  to  the  atmosphere,  they  soon  became 
oxidized,  requiring  frequent  repairs,  or  the  lightning,  by  striking  them, 
often  played  many  pranks  with  the  machines  and  their  operators ;  the 
action  of  the  current  was  also  very  unequal,  owing  to  the  varying  elec- 
trical conditions  of  the  atmosphere. 

Notwithstanding  all  their  precautions,  a  severe  accident  of  the  above 
nature  occurred  to  the  House  Telegraph  in  this  city,  on  the  29th  of 
May  last.  During  a  severe  thunderstorm  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day, 
the  lightning,  as  was  supposed,  struck  the  line  about  six  miles  from  the 
city ;  it  destroyed  nearly  three  miles  of  wire,  melted  off  the  helix  of 
the  magnet  here,  and  terminated  with  a  loud  explosion  at  the  battery ; 
several  gentlemen  were  sensibly  and  severely  affected. 

The  posts  to  sustain  the  wire  are  from  20  to  30  feet  in  height,  set  5 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


117 


feet  deep,  nine  inches  in  diameter  at  the  base,  four  and  a  half  at  the 
top,  and  about  15  rods  distant  from  each  other,  that  being  the  medium 
length  which  the  kind  of  wire  cited  will  support  of  itself  and  be  durable ; 
the  Grove  battery  is  employed  to  generate  the  current,  of  which  about 
thirty  cups  are  necessary  for  a  distance  of  100  miles. 

The  main  constituents  of  his  telegraph  are,  the  composing  machine, 
the  printing  machine,  a  compound  axial  magnet,  a  manual  power  which 
sets  the  two  machines  in  motion,  and  a  letter  wheel  or  tell-tale,  from 
which  messages  can  be  read,  should  the  printing  machine  get  out  of 
order. 

A  composing  and  printing  machine  are  both  required  at  every  sta- 
tion ;  the  printing  apparatus  is  entirely  distinct  from  the  circuit,  but 

Fig.  48. 


all  the  composing  machines  are  included  in  and  form  part  of  it ;  the 
circuit  commences  in  the  galvanic  battery  of  one  station,  passes  along 
the  conductor  to  another  station,  through  the  coil  of  the  axial  magnet 
to  an  insulated  iron  frame  of  the  composing  machine,  thence  to  a  cir- 
cuit wheel  revolving  in  this  frame ;  it  then  enters  a  spring  that  rubs 
on  the  edge  of  this  circuit  wheel,  and  has  a  connection  with  the  return 
wire,  along  which  the  electricity  goes  through  another  battery  back  to 
the  station  from  whence  it  started,  to  pursue  the  same  course  through 
the  composing  machine  and  magnet  there,  and  all  others  upon  the  line ; 
thus  the  circuit  is  confined  to  the  composing  machines,  axial  magnets, 
conducting  wires,  and  batteries. 

The  composing  machine,  Fig.  48,  is  arranged  within  a  mahogany  frame 
H,  three  feet  in  length,  two  in  width,  and  six  or  ten  inches  deep ;  the 


118 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


various  parts  of  the  printing  machine  are  seen  on  the  top  of  the  same 
case ;  both  are  propelled  by  the  same  manual  power,  which  is  distinct 
from  the  electric  current ;  it  is  simply  a  crank,  with  a  pulley  carrying 
a  band  to  drive  the  machine,  and  a  balance-wheel  to  give  stable  motion; 
one  of  the  spokes  of  the  balance-wheel  has  fixed  to  it  an  axis  for  the 
end  of  a  vertical  shaft  to  revolve  on,  that  moves  the  piston  of  an  air 
condenser  G,  fastened  to  the  floor ;  the  air  is  compressed  in  the  chamber 
I,  fourteen  inches  long,  and  six  in  diameter,  lying  beneath  the  maho- 
gany case  H ;  it  is  furnished  with  a  safety-valve,  to  permit  the  escape 
of  redundant  air  not  needed  in  the  economy  of  the  machine. 

One  of  the  improvements  in  the  "  House  Printing  Telegraph,"  since 
the  publication  of  the  first  edition  of  my  work,  consists  in  the  operator 
being  able  to  work  the  machine  without  an  assistant,  by  means  of  a 

Fig.  49. 


treadle  placed  under  the  instrument,  instead  of  the  crank.  The  cut, 
Fig.  49,  will  show  this  new  arrangement,  and  also  the  wires  coming 
from  the  distant  station. 

Fig.  50. 


The  composing  system  has  an  insulated  iron  frame,  A,  Fig.  50,  placed 
immediately  below  the  keys,  parallel  with  the  long  diameter  of  the  case; 
this  has  within  it  a  revolving  shaft  C;  the  shaft  is  inclosed  for  the 
greater  part  of  its  length  by  the  iron  cylinder  B ;  it  is  made  to  revolve 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  119 

by  a  band  playing  over  the  pulley  D,  fixed  to  the  left  extremity  of  it. 
The  cylinder  B,  Fig.  50,  is  detached  from  the  shaft,  but  made  to  revolve 
with  it  by  a  friction  contrivance,  consisting  of  a  brass  flange  fastened 
permanently  to  the  revolving  shaft ;  the  face  of  the  flange  and  the  inner 
face  of  the  circuit  wheel  are  in  contact  with  a  piece  of  cloth  or  leather 
interposed,  moistened  with  oil ;  the  friction  is  regulated  by  a  spring 
pressing  against  the  end  of  the  revolving  shaft  C. 

The  object  of  this  friction  apparatus  is  to  allow  the  shaft  to  revolve 
while  the  cylinder  can  be  arrested. 

On  the  right  end  of  the  cylinder  is  fixed  the  brass  wheel  E,  Fig.  50, 
four  or  five  inches  in  diameter,  called  the  circuit  wheel,  or  break ;  the 
outer  edge  of  it  is  divided  into  28  equal  spaces,  each  alternate  space 
being  cut  away  to  the  depth  of  one-fourth  of  an  inch,  leaving  fourteen 
teeth  or  segments,  and  fourteen  spaces,  Fig.  50,  E  ;  the  revolving  shaft 
and  cylinder  form  part  of  the  electric  circuit ;  one  point  of  connection 
being  where  the  shaft  rests  on  the  frame,  the  other  through  a  spring 
F,  having  connection  with  the  other  end  of  the  circuit,  pressing  on  the 
periphery  of  the  break-wheel  E,  Fig.  50 ;  Gr,  the  other  part  of  the  circuit, 
corning  from  the  axial  magnet  to  the  frame  A ;  when  the  shaft,  cylin- 
der, and  circuit  wheel  revolve,  the  spring  will  alternately  strike  a  tooth 
and  pass  into  an  open  space ;  in  the  former  case,  the  circuit  is  closed, 
in  the  latter  it  is  broken. 

For  the  purpose  of  arresting  the  motion  of  the  circuit  wheel  and  cylin- 
der, the  latter  has  two  spiral  lines  of  teeth  H,  Fig.  50,  extending  along 
its  opposite  sides,  having  fourteen  in  each  line,  making  28,  one  for 
each  tooth,  and  one  for  each  space  on  the  circuit  wheel ;  the  cylinder 
extends  the  whole  width  of  the  key-board  above  it ;  the  latter  is  like 
that  of  a  piano-forte,  containing  twenty-eight  keys  that  correspond  with 
the  twenty-eight  projections  on  the  cylinder,  and  have  marked  on  them 
in  order,  the  alphabet,  a  dot,  and  clash,  Fig.  48 ;  they  are  kept  in  a 
horizontal  position  by  springs  ;  there  is  a  cam  or  stop  fixed  to  the  under 
surface  of  each  key,  directly  over  one  of  the  projections  on  the  cylin- 
der ;  these  stops  do  not  meet  the  teeth  unless  the  key  is  pressed  down, 
which  being  done,  the  motion  of  the  cylinder  is  stopped  by  their  con- 
tact;  by  making  the  circuit  wheel  revolve,  the  circuit  is  rapidly  broken 
and  closed,  which  continues  until  a  key  is  depressed ;  that  key  being 
released,  the  revolution  continues  until  the  depression  of  another  key, 
and  so  on  ;  the  depression  of  a  key  either  keeps  the  circuit  broken  or 
closed ;  as  it  may  happen  to  be  at  the  time,  so  that  the  operator  does 
not  break  and  close  the  circuit,  but  merely  keeps  it  stationary  for  a 
moment ;  from  one  to  twenty-eight  openings  and  closings  of  the  circuit 
take  place  between  the  depression  of  two  different  keys  or  the  repe- 
tition of  the  depression  of  the  same  one;  the  object  of  the  composing 
machine  is  to  rapidly  break  and  close  the  circuit  as  many  times  as  there 
are  spaces  from  any  given  letter  to  the  next  one  which  it  is  desired  to 
transmit,  counting  in  alphabetical  order. 

The  rapid  electrical  pulsations  are  transmitted  by  the  circuit  of  con- 
ductors to  the  magnet  and  printing  machine  at  another  station,  through 
the  wire  J,  Fig.  48.  The  helix  of  this  magnet  is  an  intensity  coil  con- 


120 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Fig.  61. 


tained  in  the  steel  cylinder,  A,  Fig.  48,  on  the  upper  surface  of  the  ma- 
hogany case  ;  its  axis  is  vertical. 

A,  Fig.  51,  is  a  brass  tube,  eight  or  ten  inches  long,  placed  within 

the  helix,  and  fastened  at  the  bot- 
tom by  the  screw  D.  To  the  inner 
surface  of  this  tube  are  soldered  six 
or  eight  soft  iron  tubes,  separated 
from  each  other  at  regular  inter- 
vals. Above  the  iron  cylinder  is 
an  elliptical  ring  F,  through  the 
axis  of  which  is  extended  an  elastic 
wire,  G;  two  screws  are  attached 
to  the  wire,  by  which  it  is  made 
lax  or  tense,  to  suit  the  intensity 
of  the  electric  current.  From  this 
is  suspended  the  brass  rod  C,  that 
passes  down  within  the  small  iron 
tubes  before  mentioned,  and  has 
strung  on  it  six  or  eight  small  iron 
tubes  L ;  these  are  fastened  at 
equal  intervals,  and  have  their 
lower  extremity  expanded  into  a 
bell-like  flanch;  the  surrounding 
fixed  ones  have  their  upper  ends 
enlarged  inwardly  in  the  same 
manner.  The  tubes  L,  and  the 
wire  to  which  they  are  fastened, 
are  movable,  so  as  to  come  in  con- 
tact with  the  small  exterior  iron 
tubes  K,  Fig.  51,  but  are  kept  sepa- 
rate by  the  elastic  spring  above. 
At  E,  is  the  brass  covering.  On 
the  transmission  of  an  electric  cur- 
rent through  the  helix,  the  tubes  become  magnetic.  Such  is  the  ar- 
rangement of  their  polarities,  that  they  act  by  attraction  and  repulsion, 
overcome  the  elasticity  of  the  spring,  and  bring  the  movable  magnets 
down  to  the  fixed  ones — the  current  being  broken,  the  spring  sepa- 
rates them.  The  two  flanches  do  not  come  in  direct  contact,  though 
the  movable  one  acts  responsive  to  magnetic  influence.  Most  of  the 
magnetism  exists  at  the  flanches,  and  the  order  is  such  that  the  lower 
end  of  the  inner  tube  has  south  polarity,  the  surrounding  one  above, 
the  same,  which  repels  it,  while  the  top  of  the  surrounding  one  below 
has  north  polarity,  and  attracts  it ;  this  movement  is  through  a  space 
of  only  one-sixty-fourth  part  of  an  inch. 

On  the  same  rod,  above  the  movable  magnets,  is  fixed  a  hollow  cy- 
lindrical valve,  having  on  its  outer  circumference  the  grooves  1,  2,  3, 
Fig.  51.  The  plate  represents  a  longitudinal  half-section  of  the  valve, 
magnets,  and  helix.  The  valve  slides  in  an  air  chamber  H,  which 
has  two  grooves,  1,  2,  on  its  inner  surface.  Air  is  admitted  through 
the  orifice  1,  by  means  of  a  pipe  from  the  air  chamber  beneath  the 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


121 


case,  into  the  middle  groove  of  the  valve.  The  grooves  of  the  chamber 
open  into  the  side  passages  J  and  M,  which  connect  at  right  angles  with 
a  second  chamber,  in  which  a  piston  moves.  The  movement  of  the 
magnets  changes  the  apposition  of  the  grooves  in  the  first  chamber,  by 
which  air  enters  from  the  supply  pipe,  through  one  of  the  side  passages, 
into  the  second  chamber,  at  the  same  time  that  air  on  the  other  side 
of  the  piston  in  the  second  chamber  escapes  back  into  the  grooves  1 
and  2  of  the  valve,  through  the  other  side  passage,  and  from  them  into 
the  atmosphere.  This  causes  the  piston  to  slide  backward  and  forward 
with  every  upward  and  downward  motion  of  the  valve. 

Fig.  52. 


Fig.  53. 


This  piston  moves  horizontally,  arid  is  connected  with  the  lever  8, 
Fig.  52,  of  an  escapement,  the  pallets  of  which  alternately  rest  on  the 
teeth  of  an  escapement  wheel  of  the  printing  machine  A,  Fig.  52.  This 
part  of  the  apparatus  is  arranged  on  a  circular  iron  plate,  twelve  or 
fourteen  inches  in  diameter,  supported  by  standards  on  the  mahogany 
frame  H,  Fig.  48.  The  escapement  wheel  revolves  on  a  vertical  shaft 
that  passes  through  the  iron  plate,  and  has  fixed  on  it  there  a  hollow 
pulley.  This  pulley  contains  within  it  a  friction  apparatus,  consisting 
of  an  ordinary  spiral  clock  spring — the  inner  end  of  which 
is  fastened  to  the  shaft,  and  the  outer  pressing  against  the 
inner  side  of  the  case.  Thus  the  spring  is  always  about  the 
same  strength,  and  acts  upon  the  escapement  wheel,  causing 
it  to  revolve  uniformly  when  released  by  the  escapement. 
The  pulley  revolves  constantly,  while  the  shaft  and  escape- 
ment wheel  may  be  stopped.  The  escapement  wheel  has 
fourteen  teeth,  each  one  of  which  causes  two  motions  of  the  escapement, 
which  will  make  twenty-eight  for  a  single  revolution  of  the  wheel, 
which  is  shown  in  Fig.  54. 

When  in  operation,  the  piston  to  which  the  escapement  arm  8,  Fig. 
52,  is  attached,  is  subjected,  on  one  side  or  the 
other,  to  a  pressure  of  condensed  air ;  therefore 
the  piston  and  escapement  will  only  be  moved  by 
the  escapement  wheel  when  the  air  is  removed 
from  one  side  or  the  other  of  the  piston.  The 
position  of  the  valve,  Fig.  51,  attached  to  the 
magnet,  regulates  the  pressure  of  air  on  either  side 


Fig.  54. 


122  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

of  the  piston,  by  opening  one  or  the  other  of  the  side  passages  into 
the  second  chamber.  By  breaking  and  closing  the  circuit,  therefore, 
the  piston  and  escapement  move  backward  and  forward ;  thus  a 
single  revolution  of  the  circuit  wheel  at  one  station  opens  and  closes 
the  circuit  twenty-eight  times,  causing  an  equal  number  of  move- 
ments of  the  magnets  in  another  station;  they  carry  the  valve  which 
alternately  changes  the  air  on  either  side  of  the  piston.  This  permits 
the  escapement  wheel  to  move  the  escapement  and  piston  twenty- 
eight  times,  and  allows  one  revolution  of  the  escapement  wheel  for  one 
of  the  circuit  wheel  at  the  transmitting  station. 

A  steel  type  wheel,  Fig.  52,  A,  B,  C,  D,  two  inches  in  diameter,  is 
fixed  above  and  revolves  on  the  same  shaft  with  the  escapement  wheel ; 
it  has  on  its  circumference  twenty-eight  equidistant  projections  on 
which  are  engraved  in  order  the  alphabet,  a  dot,  and  a  dash.  The 
fourteen  notches  of  the  escapement  wheel  cause  twenty-eight  vibrations 
of  the  escapement  in  a  revolution,  that  correspond  to  the  characters  on 
the  type  wheel.  Every  vibration  of  the  escapement,  therefore,  makes 
the  type  wheel  advance  one  letter ;  these  letters  correspond  to  those  on 
the  keys  of  the  composing  machine.  If  any  desired  letter  on  the  type 
wheel  is  placed  in  a  certain  position,  and  a  corresponding  key  in  the 
composing  machine  is  depressed,  by  raising  that  key,  and  again  de- 
pressing it,  the  circuit  wheel  at  one  station,  and  the  escapement  and 
type  wheel  at  the  other  station,  all  make  a  single  revolution,  which 
brings  that  letter  to  its  former  position.  Any  other  letter  is  brought 
to  this  position  by  pressing  down  its  key  in  the  composing  machine, 
the  circuit  being  broken  and  closed  as  many  times  as  there  are  letters 
from  the  last  one  taken  to  the  letter  desired. 

To  form  the  letters  into  words,  it  is  necessary  that  the  printing  and 
composing  machines  should  correspond,  and  for  this  purpose  a  small 
break  and  thumb-screw,  9  and  10,  Fig.  52,  can  be  made  to  stop  the 
type  wheel  at  any  letter.  In  sending  messages,  they  usually  commence 
at  the  dash  or  space ;  if,  by  accident,  the  type  wheel  ceases  to  coincide 
with  the  distant  composing  machine,  the  printing  becomes  confused, 
the  operator  stops  the  type  wheel,  sets  it  at  the  dash,  and  the  printing 
goes  on  as  before. 

Above  the  type  wheel,  on  the  same  shaft,  is  the  letter  wheel  E,  Fig. 
52,  on  the  circumference  of  which  the  letters  are  painted  in  the  same 
order  with  those  on  the  type  wheel  below.  It  is  incased  in  a  steel 
hood,  having  an  aperture  in  it  directly  over  where  the  letters  are 
printed,  so  that  when  the  type  wheel  stops  to  print  a  letter,  the  same 
letter  is  made  stationary  for  a  moment  at  the  aperture,  and  is  readily 
distinguished ;  hence  messages  can  be  read,  thus  making  it  a  visual 
telegraph. 

The  type  wheel  has  twenty-eight  teeth  arranged  on  the  outer  edge 
of  its  upper  surface;  near  it,  on  the  opposite  side  from  where  the  print- 
ing is  done,  is  the  shaft  T,  Fig.  52,  revolving  in  an  opposite  direction. 
A  steel  cap,  X,  Fig.  52,  two  inches  in  diameter,  is  so  attached  to  the 
top  of  this  shaft  that  friction  carries  it  along  with  it,  but  it  can  be 
moved  in  the  opposite  direction ;  it  has  a  small  steel  arm,  three-fourths 
of  an  inch  long,  projecting  from  its  side,  and  playing  against  the  teeth 


THE  ELECTKO-MAGNETIC  TELEGEAPH.  123 

on  the  type  wheel ;  while  the  latter  is  revolving,  its  teeth  strike  this 
arm,  and  give  the  cap  a  contrary  motion  to  its  shaft.  There  is  a  pulley 
on  this  shaft,  below  the  plate,  connected  by  a  band  to  M,  Fig.  48 ;  its 
speed  is  less  than  that  of  the  type  wheel.  When  the  type  wheel  comes 
to  rest,  the  arm  falls  between  the  teeth,  but  it  iias  not  time  to  do  so 
when  they  are  in  motion.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  cap  to  where 
the  arm  is  attached  are  two  raised  edges,  called  detent  pins,  against 
which  the  detent  arm  U,  Fig.  52,  alternately  rests,  as  the  position  of 
the  cap  is  altered  by  the  small  arm  that  plays  on  the  teeth  of  the  type 
wheel. 

Between  the  type  wheel  and  cap  is  a  small  lever  and  thumb-screw, 
9,  Fig.  52,  which  acts  as  a  break  on  the  cap ;  its  motion  can  be  stopped 
by  it,  while  the  type-wheel  revolves ;  it  is  used  merely  to  arrest  the 
printing,  though  the  message  may  be  read  from  the  letter  wheel. 

The  detent  arm  revolves  in  a  horizontal  direction  about  the  vertical 
shaft,  which  is  also  driven  by  a  pulley  beneath  the  steel  plate  ;  when 
the  type  wheel  is  at  rest,  the  detent  arm  rests  on  one  of  the  detent  pins, 
but  when  it  moves,  the  teeth  on  its  upper  surface  give  the  arm  and  cap 
a  reverse  direction  to  its  shaft,  which  alters  the  position  of  the  detent 
points,  so  that  the  detent  arm  is  liberated  from  this  first  pin,  and  falls 
upon  the  second,  where  it  remains  until  the  escapement  and  type  wheels 
again  come  to  rest ;  when  this  happens,  the  arm  falls  between  two  of 
the  teeth,  the  cap  resumes  its  first  position,  the  detent  is  let  loose, 
makes  a  revolution,  and  stops  again  on  the  first  pin. 

The  shaft  that  carries  the  detent  arm  has  an  eccentric  wheel  R,  Fig. 
52,  on  it,  above  the  arm  ;  an  eccentric  wheel  is  one  that  has  its  axis  of 
motion  nearer  one  side  than  the  other,  and,  while  revolving,  operates 
like  a  crank ;  from  this  eccentric  is  a  connecting  rod  S,  which  draws 
a  toothed  wheel  against  the  type ;  this  toothed  wheel  ,is  supported  in 
an  elastic  steel  arm  (shut  out  of  view  by  the  coloring  band),  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  type  wheel  from  that  of  the  eccentric,  and  revolves 
in  a  vertical  direction ;  the  band  E,  Fig.  48,  carrying  the  coloring  matter 
to  print  with,  passes  between  this  and  the  type ;  the  dots  seen  represent 
small  teeth  that  catch  the  paper  and  draw  it  along,  as  the  wheel  re- 
volves, between  itself  and  a  steel  clasp,  operated  by  a  spring  that  presses 
the  paper  against  the  teeth  and  keeps  it  smooth ;  the  clasp  is  perforated 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  type  print  through  it ;  there  are  two  rows 
of  teeth,  one  above,  the  other  below  the  orifice. 

The  vertical  wheel,  Fig.  52,  is  embraced  in  a  ring  by  the  connecting 
shaft  S,  and  a  rotary  motion  is  imparted  to  it  by  a  ratchet  fixed  to  its 
lower  surface,  moving  with  it,  and  catching  against  two  poles  fastened 
to  the  steel  plate  below  it ;  the  poles  are  pressed  against  the  ratchet  by 
springs,  as  shown  in  Fig.  55  ;  the  wheel  is  octagonal, 
and  every  revolution  of  the  eccentric  turns  it 
through  one-eighth  of  a  revolution,  and  therefore 
presents  a  firm,  flat  surface  to  push  the  paper 
against  the  type,  and  advances  sufficient  for  every 
letter,  one  being  printed  each  time  the  detent  arm 
revolves. 

When  the  type  wheel  stops,  the  detent -arm  revolves,  that  carries 


124  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

with  it  the  eccentric,  which,  through  the  connecting  rod,  draws  the 
toothed  wheel  having  the  paper  and  coloring  band  before  it  against 
the  type,  and  an  impression  is  made  on  the  paper ;  a  letter  is  printed 
if  the  circuit  remains  broken  or  closed  longer  than  one-tenth  of  a 
second ;  three  hundred  letters,  in  the  form  of  Koman  capitals,  can  be 
accurately  printed  per  minute ;  the  roll  of  paper  L,  Fig.  52,  is  supported 
on  a  loose  revolving  wire  framework ;  on  the  same  standard  is  a  small 
pulley  W,  around  which  one  end  of  the  coloring  band  runs. 

In  transmitting  a  message,  the  machine  is  set  in  motion,  a  signal  is 
given  (which  is  simply  the  movement  of  the  magnet),  and  then  with 
the  communication  before  him,  the  operator  commences  to  play  like  a 
pianist  on  his  key-board,  touching,  in  rapid  succession,  those  keys 
which  are  marked  with  the  consecutive  letters  of  the  information  to  be 
transmitted ;  on  hearing  the  signal,  the  operator  at  the  receiving  sta- 
tion sets  his  machine  in  motion ;  then  setting  his  type  at  the  dash, 
sends  back  signal  that  he  is  ready,  and  the  communication  is  transmit- 
ted ;  he  can  leave  his  machine,  and  it  will  print  in  his  absence ;  when 
the  printing  is  finished,  he  tears  off  the  strip  which  contains  it,  folds 
it  in  an  envelop  ready  to  send  to  any  place  desired.  The  Governor's 
Message  has  been  transmitted  by  this  instrument,  and  published  entire 
in  New  York  two  hours  after  its  delivery  in  Albany. 

The  function  of  the  electric  current  in  this  machine,  together  with 
the  condensed  air,  is  to  preserve  equal  time  in  the  printing  and  com- 
posing machine,  that  the  letters  in  one  may  correspond  with  the  other ; 
the  electrical  pulsations  determine  the  number  of  spaces  or  letters 
which  the  type  wheel  is  permitted  to  advance ;  they  must  be  at  least 
twenty-five  per  second  to  prevent  the  printing  machine  from  acting ; 
the  intervals  of  time  the  electric  currents  are  allowed  to  flow  unbro- 
ken are  equal,  and  the  number  of  magnetic  pulsations  necessary  to 
indicate  a  different  succession  of  letters  are  exceedingly  unequal ;  from 
A  to  B  will  require  one-twenty-eighth  of  a  revolution  of  the  type 
wheel,  and  one  magnetic  pulsation ;  from  A  to  A  will  require  an 
entire  revolution  of  the  type  wheel  and  twenty-eight  magnetic  pul- 
sations. 

On  the  28th  December,  1852,  Eoyal  E.  House  obtained  the  fol- 
lowing patent  for  various  improvements  on  the  original  machine: 
"  I  claim,  First.  The  employment  of  electro-magnetic  force,  in  com- 
bination with  the  force  of  a  current  of  air,  or  other  fluid,  so  that  the 
action  of  the  former  governs  or  controls  the  action  of  the  latter,  for 
the  purpose  described.  Second.  I  claim  the  construction  of  the  electro- 
magnet, as  described;  that  is  to  say,  a  series  of  fixed  magnets,  in 
combination  with  a  series  of  movable  magnets,  arranged  upon  a  central 
axis,  which  axis  plays  between  or  through  the  line  of  fixed  magnets, 
so  as  to  effect  a  vibratory  movement  of  said  axis  by  a  force  multiplied 
by  the  number  of  magnets  of  both  kinds.  Third.  I  claim  the  com- 
bination of  the  electro-magnet  with  the  valve,  for  regulating  and  di- 
recting the  force  of  a  current  of  air,  or  other  fluid,  acting  as  a  motive 
power  upon  the  piston,  or  other  analogous  device  for  producing  a  vi- 
bratory motion,  as  described.  Fourth.  I  claim  the  endless  band,  in 
combination  with  the  cylinder,  as  an  inking  machine,  for  conveying 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  125 

and  applying  the  coloring  matter  to  the  paper,  at  the  moment  of  re- 
ceiving the  impression  from  the  types,  as  described.  Fifth.  I  claim 
the  combination  of  the  regulating  bar  with  the  type  wheel,  for  the 
purpose  of  regulating  the  proper  position  said  wheel  should  have,  in 
connection  with  a  given  position  of  the  key  shaft,  at  the  moment  of 
printing  any  letters  or  characters." 

The  first  line  operating  with  this  instrument  was  completed  in 
March,  1849,  by  the  New  Jersey  Magnetic  Telegraph  Company  (now 
the  New  York  and  Washington  Printing  Telegraph  Company),  from 
Philadelphia  to  New  York  city.  They  were  incorporated  by  the 
Legislature  of  New  Jersey,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000. 

"  The  Boston  and  New  York  Telegraph  Company,  using  House's 
Printing  Telegraph ;  about  six  hundred  miles  of  wire ;  two  wires. 
Stations  at  Boston,  Mass.,  Providence,  K.  I.,  Springfield,  Mass.,  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  New  York.  A  line  being  con- 
structed to  connect  with  the  Boston  line,  running  from  Springfield, 
Mass.,  to  Albany,  New  York,  there  intersect  the  New  York  and  Buffalo 
line,  using  the  same  instruments,  extending  from  New  York  to  Buffalo, 
a  distance  of  five  hundred  and  seventy  miles.  One  wire  now  in  ope- 
ration, connecting  with  Poughkeepsie,  Troy,  Albany,  Utica,  Syracuse, 
Lyons,  Rochester,  Albion,  Lockport,  and  Buffalo ;  and  another  wire 
nearly  completed,  same  distance.  The  same  line  to  continue  to  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  connecting  with  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Louisville,  and  St. 
Louis — forming  the  longest  line  in  the  world,  under  the  direction  of 
one  company ;  whole  length  being  fifteen  hundred  miles.  We  learn 
that  the  first  section  of  the  New  York  Central,  New  Jersey  and  Penn- 
sylvania Telegraph  Company  (House's  Printing  Telegraph),  is  now  in 
successful  operation  from  Easton  to  Belvidere,  connecting  with  the 
Morse  line  at  Easton  to  Philadelphia.  This  line,  when  completed,  will 
be  one  of  the  most  important  in  this  State  and  New  Jersey,  connecting 
Philadelphia,  Trenton,  Lambertyille,  Easton,  Flemington,  Doylestown, 
&c.  &c.,  via  the  Central  Railroad  to  New  York.  The  New  York  and 
Washington  Printing  Telegraph  Company,  using  House's  instruments, 
extends  from  New  York  via  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  to  Washing- 
ton ;  two  wires,  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  miles." 

Subjoined  is  a  specimen  of  the  form  of  printing  executed  by  this 
machine,  kindly  offered  by  the  principal  operator  at  this  station,  Mr. 
W.  J.  Philips,  to  whom,  and  the  records  of  the  House  trial,  I  am  in- 
debted for  most  of  my  information : — 


HOUSE'S  PRINTING  TELEGRAPH. 

Submarine  Electric  Telegraphs. 

The  first  wires  for  the  Submarine  Telegraph  between  England  and 
France  were  sunk  in  the  British  Channel  on  the  27th  of  August,  1850. 
The  wire  was  thirty  miles  long,  with  a  covering  of  gutta  percha  half  an 
inch  in  diameter,  the  wire  imbedded  by  leaden  clamps  of  twenty  and 


126  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

twenty -five  pounds,  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  The  clamps  were  streamed 
out  at  every  sixteenth  of  a  mile,  and  the  wire  was  safely  sunk  to  a 
depth  which  was  hoped  would  place  it  out  of  the  reach  of  anchors  or 
monsters  of  the  deep ;  and  the  other  end  of  the  wire  was  run  up  the 
cliff  at  Cape  Grienez,  to  its  terminal  station  on  the  French  side  of  the 
channel,  and  messages  were  passed  between  the  two  countries. 

But,  unfortunately  for  the  first  effort,  in  the  course  of  a  month  the 
wire  received  so  much  injury  on  a  rock  off  Cape  Grienez,  as  to  make 
it  entirely  useless,  and,  upon  a  careful  consideration,  the  directors  of 
the  company  determined  to  lay,  instead  of  one,  "four  permanent  wires." 

Upon  an  examination  by  divers,  it  has  been  found  that  where  the 
rupture  of  the  coil  occurred  it  had  rested  on  a  very  sharp  ridge  of 
rocks,  about  a  mile  out  from  Cape  Grienez,  so  that  the  leaden  weights, 
hanging  pannier-like  on  either  side,  in  conjunction  with  the  swaying 
of  the  water,  caused  it  to  part  at  that  point ;  while  at  another  place,  in 
shore,  the  shingle  from  the  beach  had  the  effect  of  detaching  the  coil 
from  the  leaden  conductor  that  carried  it  up  the  cape. 

The  wire,  in  its  gutta  percha  coating,  was  consequently  cut  in  two 
places,  representing  a  remnant  of  wire  of  about  four  hundred  yards, 
which  was  allowed  to  drift  away,  till  it  came  into  the  possession  of  a 
fisherman  of  Boulogne ;  and  it  was  no  wonder  that  it  was  cut,  being 
represented  as  not  thicker  than  a  lady's  stay-lace,  while  it  ought  to 
have  been  as  thick  as  the  cable  of  those  placed  in  the  Britannia  tubes 
in  position,  say  eight  or  ten-inch  cable,  and  to  be  submerged  below  five 
fathoms,  by  the  aid  of  enormous  weights,  so  as  to  avoid  all  currents. 

I  will  now  state  the  present  condition  of  this  communication,  and 
the  means  taken  to  secure  it  from  accident,  and  I  will  then  describe 
the  form  of  telegraph  which  is  employed  by  Mr.  Brett.  In  L1  Illus- 
tration Journal  Universe^  for  October,  1851,  it  is  stated  that  in  this,  the 
last  effort,  they  had  not  calculated  for  the  proper  amount  of  cable  when 
first  taken  across  the  channel,  it  requiring  a  mile  more  cable,  but  the 
accident  was  soon  repaired.  The  engraving  is  one  taken  from  that 
journal,  and  they  remark  that  it  is  indeed  a  wonderful  work.  The 
cable  of  wire  in  which  is  inclosed  the  electrical  conductor,  was  manu- 
factured in  the  short  space  of  three  weeks,  by  means  of  a  machine,  the 
invention  of  Mr.  Fen  wick,  an  ingenious  English  engineer.  It  is  hoped 
that  to  preserve  the  conducting  wire  free  from  accidents  which  caused 
the  first  experiment  to  fail,  by  the  present  arrangement  four  wires  are 
enveloped  in  a  double  cover  of  gutta  percha,  and  each  re-covered  with 
cable  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea ;  the  covers  forming,  together,  a 
length  of  ninety-six  miles,  over  which  is  placed  a  linen  covering  pre- 
pared in  a  composition  of  tar,  tallow,  &c.,  and  crossing  its  length  the 
centre  of  the  cable. 

No.  1,  Fig.  56,  is  the  first  covering  of  gutta  percha;  No.  2  is  the 
second  covering,  re-covering  the  first ;  No.  3,  section  of  the  covering 
No.  2  ;  No.  4  is  the  wire  in  the  covering  of  tarred  linen  ;  No.  5  is  the 
simple  wire  of  galvanized  iron ;  the  covering  is  that  of  zinc ;  No.  6  is 
a  view  of  the  arrangement  of  the  cable,  showing  the  galvanized  iron 
wire,  &c. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 
Fig.  56. 


127 


To  recapitulate :  The  rope  is  24  miles  long,  and  consists  of  four 
copper  wires,  through  which  the  electric  current  will  pass,  insulated  by 
coverings  of  gutta  percha.  These  are  formed  into  a  strand,  and  bound 
round  with  spun-yarn,  forming  a  core  or  centre,  round  which  are  laid 
ten  iron  galvanized  wires,  of  5-16ths  of  an  inch  diameter,  each  welded 
into  one  length  of  24  J  miles,  and  weighing  about  15  tons.  The  rope 
weighs,  altogether,  about  180  tons;  it  forms  a  coil  of  30  feet  in  diameter 
outside,  15  feet  inside,  and  five  feet  high,  and  was  in  good  working 
order  in  September,  1851.  English  papers,  received  by  the  arrival  of 
the  Niagara,  on  Friday,  December  12,  1851,  state  that  the  Submarine 
Telegraph  is  working  well.  Messages,  on  the  same  day,  have  been 
transmitted  from  London  and  Liverpool  to  Paris,  Havre,  Vienna, 
Trieste,  Hamburg,  and  Ostend ;  and,  in  one  instance,  a  communication 
was  forwarded  to  Cracow,  to  be  dispatched  thence  by  mail  to  Odessa. 

The  rates  are,  for  a  message  of  twenty  words : — 


From  Paris  to  Calais    . 
"         "          Dover    . 
London 
"         "          Birmingham  . 


7f.  56c. 
19f.  56c. 
32f.  81c. 


From  Paris  to  Brighton,  Cheltenham,  Coventry,  Gloucester,  New 
Market,  Norwich,  Oxford,  Portsmouth,  Southampton,  &c.,  26f.  03 c. 

From.  Paris  to  Chester,  Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  Holyhead,  Liverpool, 
Manchester,  New  Castle,  Nottingham,  Sheffield,  York,  29f.  31c. 

Now  that  the  English  Channel  has  been  crossed  in  so  substantial  a 
manner,  and  with  such  perfect  success,  the  crossing  of  the  Irish  Chan- 
nel must  follow ;  for  the  same  Company  will  perform  this  important 
work. 

By  their  act  of  incorporation  they  are  styled  "  The  Submarine  Tele- 
graph Company  between  England  and  France,  between  England  apd 
Ireland,  and  the  European  and  American  Printing  Telegraph,"  all 
proposed  by  Mr.  Jacob  Brett,  in  1851. 


128  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

The  Submarine  Telegraph  Company,  between  France  and  England, 
has  declared  a  dividend  of  2J  per  cent,  on  the  operations  of  the  first 
six  months.  The  capital  account  shows  a  receipt  of  £100,000  on  so 
many  shares  of  £1  each,  and  an  expenditure  as  follows :  By  amount 
paid  to  the  concessionaires  and  entrepreneurs,  under  the  terms  of 
Article  9  of  the  Acte  de  Society  cost  of  experimental  wire,  cost  of 
existing  cable,  and  amount  paid  on  account  of  the  wires  in  connection 
with  the  submarine  cable  at  Dover,  £70,233  7  |  3 ;  candon  money  in 
the  hands  of  the  French  Government,  £2,000 ;  amount  paid  for  office 
furniture,  £216  12  19.  Total,  £72,450.  The  balance  of  £27,550  is 
composed  of  £2,550  value  of  shares  held  in  the  hands  of  the  Company, 
and  £25,000  shares  unallotted. 

The  revenue  account  shows  that  £3,546  8  |  5  have  been  received  for 
messages  transmitted  from  Nov.  30,  1851,  to  June  30,  1852  :  The  ex- 
penses at  the  London,  Dover,  Calais  and  Paris  stations,  including 
printing,  stationery,  postage,  and  other  incidental  charges,  were  £238 
12  |  9 ;  salaries  and  wages,  £805  17  |  1 ;  rent  and  taxes  (London,  Paris 
and  Dover),  £170  6  |  10;  directors'  allowance  (half  a  year  under  Article 
10  of  the  Act  of  Society),  £3,000.  Total,  £1,514  16  |  8,  giving  a  net 
profit  of  £2,031  11  |  9. 

Since  Nov.  15,  1851,  the  Company  has  transmitted  9,045  messages 
from  London  to  Calais,  for  which  it  has  received  £6,889  13  9.  Two 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety -four  of  these  pounds  have  been 
paid  to  the  South-eastern  Railway. 

The  Submarine  Telegraph  Company  is  already  receiving  nearly 
£450  a  week  for  messages,  or  .£22,000  a  year,  which  is  15J  per  cent. 
on  the  capital.  London,  May,  1853. 

The  following  is  a  description  and  Plate  of  the  form  of  Telegraph 
employed  by  this  Company. 

Description  of  Bretfs  Printing  Telegraph,  Plate  II. 

Suppose  at  one  extremity  of  a  single  line  of  telegraphic  wire,  a  small 
key -board,  containing  a  row  of  ivory  keys,  marked  with  the  letters  of 
the  alphabet,  and  other  characters  or  words ;  and  that  it  be  connected 
by  the  said  wire  to  the  printing  machine  at  the  other  extremity.  This 
machine  contains  a  type  wheel,  having  on  its  circumference  corre- 
sponding letters,  words,  or  signs ;  a  slight  electric  power  is  sufficient  to 
regulate  the  motion  of  the  whole,  so  that  the  instant  a  key  representing 
any  word,  letter,  or  sign,  is  pressed  down  by  the  person  at  the  key- 
board at  one  end  of  the  line,  the  corresponding  word,  letter,  or  sign  of 
the  type  wheel  prints,  and  the  signal  bells  ring  at  the  other  end  of  the 
line  of  telegraph,  without  limit  as  to  distance.  The  communications 
are  printed  on  paper  supplied  from  a  scroll  of  unlimited  length,  from 
which  any  portion  of  the  correspondence  may  be  cut  off  at  pleasure. 

The  motive  power  is  simple ;  it  being  that  of  a  weight,  which  sets 
in  motion  the  key-shaft  and  governor  of  the  key -board ;  and  the  circuit 
wjieel  in  connection  with  the  shaft  being  put  in  contact  with  the  wire 
of  the  galvanic  battery,  or  other  generator  of  electricity,  according  to 
the  velocity  of  motion  and  manipulation  at  the  key -board,  so  will  the 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  129 

motion  be  fast  or  slow  at  the  printing  end  of  the  telegraph ;  the  type 
wheel  of  the  telegraph  is  set  at  liberty  by  means  of  an  escapement,  and 
weights  in  connection  with  it,  so  as  to  print  with  a  like  velocity,  in 
combination  with  a  hydraulic  or  pneumatic  regulator,  which  admits 
of  the  desired  letter  only  being  printed,  by  checking  and  releasing  an 
eccentric  arrangement ;  a  rod  from  thence  unites  with  the  cylinder  on 
which  the  paper  is  printed,  in  various  modes,  as  may  be  desired,  either 
in  paragraphs — on  a  sheet  of  paper — upon  a  long  strip  of  ribbon  or 
paper — or,  if  for  government  dispatches  and  the  like,  it  can  be  printed 
line  by  line,  like  the  column  of  a  newspaper,  of  an  unlimited  length. 

Fig.  2  represents  a  separate  key-board,  of  a  circular  form,  from 
which  communications  can  be  forwarded  to  any  or  every  station  in 
connection  with  it,  the  letters,  words,  or  characters  being  arranged 
round  it  on  the  keys  ;  and  these,  if  depressed  by  the  fingers,  will  check 
the  motion  of  a  pin,  or  shaft,  and  also  of  the  circuit  wheel  fixed  to  the 
same  axis,  at  such  given  point  or  key,  by  which  means  the  operator 
may  make  or  break  the  circuit  of  conductors  at  such  letter  or  point. 

The  distance  actually  proved  to  act  by  this  telegraph  in  one  con- 
tinuous line  has  been  280  miles,  and  340  miles  apart,  at  the  rate  of 
100  letters  per  minute.  This  is  a  modification  of  the  House  Printing 
Telegraph. 

Messrs.  Carmichael  and  Brett  have  contracted  with  the  Belgian 
Government  for  the  formation  of  a  submarine  telegraph  between  Bel- 
gium and  England.  They  are  to  have  a  monopoly  of  ten  years,  and 
the  governments  are  to  have  priority  of  all  messages. 

Submarine  Telegraph  in  the  Mediterranean. — The  Genoa  Mercantile 
Courier,  of  the  4th  inst.,  contains  the  following  important  announce- 
ment: A  convention  has  been  concluded  between  the  Piedmontese 
Government,  the  French  Government  and  the  English  Submarine 
Telegraph  Company,  for  the  immediate  execution  of  an  electric  tele- 
graph between  Genoa  and  Cagliari,  in  Sardinia.  The  English  steamer 
conveying  the  India  mail  from  Malta,  will  call  in  at  Cagliari. 

On  the  6th  July,  1853,  a  cable  of  seventy  miles,  in  one  entire  length, 
was  laid  down  between  England  and  Belgium  with  complete  success, 
and  communications  were  instantly  transmitted  over  500  miles  of  sub- 
marine and  subterranean  line,  with  two  of  24-plates  battery  only. 
The  Mediterranean  Electric  Telegraph  Company  propose  to  unite 
Europe  with  Africa  by  continuing  the  electric  wires,  which  now  run 
without  interruption  between  London  and  Genoa,  to  Spezzia.  From 
the  latter  port  they  will  cross  the  Mediterranean  to  Africa,  passing  by 
the  islands  of  Corsica  and  Sardinia.  It  is  farther  proposed  to  con- 
struct a  subterranean  line  from  Algeria,  along  the  coast  of  Africa  to 
Alexandria ;  and,  with  the  support  of  the  British  Government  and 
the  East  India  Company,  it  will  be  easy  to  prolong  the  wires  to  Bom- 
bay, where  they  will  meet  the  great  line  of  3,000  miles  now  in  course 
of  construction  by  the  East  India  Company.  The  farther  end  of  this 
chain  may  ultimately  be  carried  to  Australia. 

The  work  has  already  been  commenced,  and  the  line  has  been  made 
from  London  to  Genoa.  The  writer  adds :  "  The  government  of  this 
country  has  also  just  entered  into  a  contract  with  Mr  John  Brett,  who 
9 


130  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

represents  a  large  company  of  British  capitalists — the  same  which 
carried  the  line  across  the  British  Channel — for  carrying  it  on  from  the 
main  land  at  Spezzia  to  the  farther  extremity  of  the  Island  of  Sardinia,  in 
the  midst  of  the  Mediterranean ;  and  France  will  see  that  it  is  continued 
thence  to  the  province  of  Algiers,  on  the  coast  of  Africa.  The  interest 
that  England  has  in  its  continuance  to  her  rich  possessions  in  the  East 
is  obvious  enough,  without  specification. 

"The  company  has  engaged  to  have  the  line  from  Spezzia  to  the 
island  completed  within  eighteen  months  at  its  own  risk  and  expense, 
and  the  government  gives  it  a  monopoly  for  fifty  years,  when  it  will 
become  the  property  of  the  State.  The  cost  is  estimated  at  $600,000. 

"It  is  provided,  among  the  details  of  the  contract,  that  the  govern- 
ment shall  have  the  free  use  of  the  line  for  its  dispatches,  and  a  cer- 
tain small  interest  in  the  income  of  the  business,  for  which  it  guaran- 
tees to  the  company  an  interest  of  5  per  cent,  on  the  capital,  or  cost 
of  the  work.  The  price  of  all  dispatches  is  fixed  at  50  cents  for  20 
words. 

"  The  whole  line  from  Spezzia,  the  nearest  point  of  the  main  land,  to 
the  termination  on  the  island  (port  of  Cagliari),  will  be  414  miles,  of 
which  83  will  be  under  water,  and  331  over  land,  including  the  in- 
termediate French  Island  of  Corsica,  thus — 

From  Spezzia  to  Corsica     ....  76  miles. 

Across  Corsica 128      " 

Across  the  Straits  of  Bonifacio   .         .  7      " 

Across   the  Island  of  Sardinia    .  203      " 


Total        .         .         .         .         .         .     414      " 

"  Thus  you  see  that  within  eighteen  months  we  are  to  have  the  bene- 
fit of  a  telegraph  line  from  London  to  the  very  bosom  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean. France,  it  is  understood,  will  bear  her  share  in  the  work  on 
the  Island  of  Corsica.  The  distance  between  Constantinople,  Algiers, 
Egypt,  the  islands  of  the  sea,  distant  India  and  China,  and  the  seats  of 
European  civilization  and  commerce,  for  all  purposes  of  correspond- 
ence, will  thus  be  greatly  diminished,  which  will  be  a  great  achieve- 
ment, even  if  the  projected  work  should  go  no  farther.  But  it  will 
not  stop  there,  unless  the  course  of  things  is  unfortunately  changed 
by  war." 

It  is  stated,  in  relation  to  the  law  just  passed  for  the  establishment 
of  electrical  telegraphic  communication  between  France  and  Algeria 
in  the  northern  coast  of  Africa,  that  by  agreement  with  the  Govern- 
ment of  Sardinia,  the  wire  is  to  cross  the  Mediterranean  in  three  leaps. 
The  first  will  be  from  Spezzia,  on  the  Italian  coast  near  Genoa,  to 
Corsica ;  the  second,  from  Corsica  to  Sardinia ;  and  the  third,  from 
Sardinia  to  Bone,  on  the  coast  of  Africa ;  thence  along  the  shore  to 
Algiers  and  Oran.  The  submarine  telegraphic  cable,  connecting  Sar- 
dinia with  Bone,  will  be  of  one  piece,  200  kilometres  (124J  miles)  in 
length ;  and  there  will  be  on  the  whole  line  a  total  of  450  kilometres 
of  submarine  wire. 

Mr.  Brett  has  arrived  at  Turin  to  make  preliminary  arrangements 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGKAPH.  131 

for  the  submarine  telegraph  from  La  Spezzia  to  Sardinia  and  Algeria. 
Operations  are  to  commence  at  the  Straits  of  Bonifacio,  between  Sar- 
dinia and  Corsica ;  and  about  500  workmen  are  to  proceed  to  Sassari. 

The  Submarine  Telegraph  between  Great  Britain  and  Ireland. 

This  important  line  of  communication  has  at  length  been  successfully 
effected  by  a  submarine  cable,  manufactured  by  Messrs.  Newall  &  Co., 
of  Gateshead,  and  laid  down  by  that  firm  in  July,  1853,  between  Dona- 
ghadee  and  Portpatrick.  The  cable  consists  of  six  communicating  wires 
insulated  in  gutta  percha,  and  protected  in  the  usual  manner  by  an 
Outer  covering  of  iron  wire.  It  could  not  be  laid,  as  was  intended, 
during  the  previous  week,  owing  to  the  gales  from  the  east  preventing 
the  opening  of  the  dock  gates  at  Sunderland  to  let  the  vessel  contain- 
ing it  pass  out.  As  several  previous  attempts  to  lay  a  submarine 
telegraph  across  the  Irish  Channel  had  failed,  every  care  was  taken  to 
insure  the  successful  termination  of  the  present  attempt ;  and  the  ex- 
pedition, consisting  of  the  screw  steamer  William  Hutt  (with  the  cable 
and  apparatus  on  board),  the  Conqueror,  and  the  Wizard,  left  the  Irish 
coast,  having  landed  the  end  of  the  cable  at  a  point  about  two  miles  to 
the  south  of  Donaghadee  harbor,  and  commenced  the  submersion  of  the 
cable,  under  the  guidance  of  Captain  Hawes,  K.  N.,  specially  appointed 
by  the  Admiralty,  who  rendered  great  assistance  in  determining  and 
directing  the  exact  course  to  be  pursued.  The  cable  was  landed  on 
Wednesday  morning,  in  a  sandy  bay  (called  Mora  Bay),  a  little  to  the 
north  of  Portpatrick. 

Submarine  Telegraph. 

The  submarine  telegraph  to  connect  Nova  Scotia  to  Newfoundland 
has  not  made  much  progress,  the  Nova  Scotia  House  of  Assembly 
having  refused  a  charter  to  the  opposition  company  across  that  pro- 
vince. This  act  almost  seals  the  fate  of  the  submarine  telegraph. 
A  submarine  section  of  ten  or  twelve  miles  had  been  laid  under  the 
strait  between  Prince  Edward  Island  and  the  main  land,  which  short 
section  was  intended  as  a  portion  of  the  "  one  hundred  and  forty  miles 
of  submarine  telegraph"  which  was  designed  to  connect  Newfound- 
land with  the  American  continent^ 

The  Dutch  Electric  Telegraph. 

The  electric  telegraph,  constructed  between  La  Haye  and  Brussels, 
and  between  La  Haye  and  Scheveningen,  has  been  opened  to  the 
public. 

The  Submarine  Cable  for  Denmark. 

It  is  stated  that  the  submarine  cable,  13  miles  long,  that  was  to  be 
sunk  across  the  Great  Belt  to  Nyburg,  has  failed  in  its  manufacture. 

The  line  of  telegraph  proposed  to  be  laid  down  from  the  Hague  to 
the  English  coast,  has  already  been  carried  from  the  Hague  to  Sche- 


132  THE  ELECTKO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

veningen ;  but  the  submarine  wire  will  not  be  thrown  across  the  chan- 
nel until  1853,  owing  to  the  boisterous  state  of  the  weather.  It  is  stated 
that  the  line  will  terminate  at  Lowestoft,  and  not  at  Harwich,  as  at  first 
intended.  Mr.  T.  Allen,  of  Edinburgh,  proposes  to  place  the  exterior 
protecting  iron  wires  of  submarine  cables  longitudinally,  instead  of 
spirally,  as  is  done  in  the  Dover  and  Calais  rope,  as  it  will  cost  less 
and  give  greater  security  against  longitudinal  strain. 

Any  of  our  telegraphic  operators  who  are  desirous  of  examining  a 
portion  of  the  Dover  and  Calais  rope,  can  have  an  opportunity  by 
calling  at  the  Franklin  Institute  of  this  city,  where  there  is  a  piece, 
brought  by  my  friend,  Mr.  J.  V.  Merrick,  from  London. 

Submarine  Telegraph  at  Paducah. 

"  The  great  submarine  telegraph  cable,  on  the  St.  Louis  and  New 
Orleans  Telegraph  Line,  was  laid  across  the  Ohio  Kiver  at  this  place 
on  Monday  last,  the  26th  inst.  We  examined  this  strange  piece  of 
mechanism  a  few  days  previous  to  the  time  it  was  deposited  in  its 
watery  abode,  and  were  not  a  little  astonished  at  its  wonderful  strength. 

"It  is  composed  of  a  large  iron  wire,  covered  with  three  coatings  of 
gutta  percha,  making  a  cord  of  about  five-eighths  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 

"To  protect  this  from  wear,  and  for  security  of  insulation,  there  are 
three  coverings  of  strong  Omaburg,  saturated  with  an  elastic  composi- 
tion of  non-electrics  •  and,  around  this,  are  eighteen  large  iron  wires, 
drawn  as  tight  as  the  wire  will  bear,  and  the  whole  is  then  spirally 
lashed  together  with  another  large  wire,  passing  around  at  every  |  of 
an  inch.  The  whole  forms  a  cable  of  near  two  inches  in  diameter,  and 
it  is  much  the  largest  and  most  substantial  cable  of  the  sort  in  the 
known  world. 

"We  are  told  that  the  great  cable  across  the  channel  from  England 
to  France,  is  inferior  in  size  to  this,  and  by  no  means  as  well  insulated 
for  electrical  application  ;  while  in  point  of  strength,  it  will  not  com- 
pare at  all  with  the  one  at  this  place.  The  British  wire  across  the 
channel  is  surrounded  by  eight  wires  only,  while  ours  has  eighteen. 
Ours  is  spirally  lashed,  while  the  British  is  not.  The  electric  wire  in 
the  British  cable  has  but  one  coating  of  gutta  percha,  while  ours  has 
three,  and  is  altogether  superior  in  every  particular. 

"  This  stupendous  wire,  which  now  conducts  the  lightning  from  shore 
to  shore,  beneath  the  bed  of  the  majestic  Ohio,  is  4,200  feet  in  length, 
and  the  longest  one  to  be  found  in  the  United  States.  It  has  been 
constructed  by  that  amiable  and  accomplished  gentleman,  Tal.  P. 
Shaffner,  Esq.,  late  President  of  the  company,  and  now  Secretary  of 
the  American  Telegraph  Confederation,  assisted  by  J.  B.  Sleeth,  Me- 
chanical Engineer.  These  gentlemen  have  made  improvements  in  the 
construction  of  cables,  both  scientific  and  mechanical,  which  will  en- 
title them  to  letters  patent,  and  the  country  may  well  be  proud  of 
them,  as  men  of  skill  and  ability,  in  whatever  they  may  undertake. 

"The  wires  on  this  line,  we  understand,  have  been  exceedingly  trouble- 
some and  expensive  to  the  company,  upwards  of  $20,000  having  been 
expended  in  unsuccessful  efforts  to  cross  the  rivers  in  such  a'  manner 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  133 

as  to  secure  them  against  accidents  ;  but  this  great  effort  has  accom- 
plished the  object,  and  there  can  be  no  future  loss  sustained  on  account 
of  breakage  of  mast,  wires,  &c." 

Telegraphs  from  1847  to  1853. 

From  the  year  1847  to  that  of  1852  there  have  been  so  many  fancied 
improvements  made  in  electric  telegraphs,  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  con- 
sume time  in  describing  them.  The  most  important  I  have  noticed  in 
full ;  but  in  the  majority,  I  have  only  described  a  new  claim,  or  a  good 
modification  of  an  old  arrangement. 

Three  of  the  most  interesting  telegraphs  which  have  been  devised  in 
that  time,  are  those  of  Henley  and  Foster,  of  England ;  Siemens,  of  Ber- 
lin, and  Allen,  of  Edinburgh.  I  have  arranged  them  chronologically, 
and  have  given  a  list  of  the  publications  where  they  may  be  found, 
especially  in  the  instances  where  the  description  given  here  is  limited. 

Notfs  Improvement  in  Electric  Telegraph,  January  20,  1846. — Novel 
arrangement  of  apparatus,  by  which  audible  and  visible  signals  can  be 
given,  through  the  agency  of  electro -magnetism. — Rep.  Pat.  Inventions, 
1847,  p.  97.— (Irish.) 

Hatchers  Improvements. — First,  consisting  in  arranging  and  disposing 
of  magnets  in  such  a  way  that  when  an  electric  current  is  transmitted 
through  them,  gives  a  step  by  step  motion.  The  second  relates  to  the 
means  of  forming  the  metallic  connections.  Third,  in  regulating  a 
number  of  clocks.  Patent  dated  March  23,  1847. — (English.) 

Reid's  Electro-Telegnqihic  Improvements.- — Better  insulation  of  the 
wires,  by  laying  them  in  channels  under  ground,  and  covering  them 
with  gutta  percha,  marine  glue,  or  tar ;  using  a  modified  galvanometer 
to  sound  an  alarm,  and  earthenware  insulators.  Patent  dated  Nov. 
23,  1847.— (English.) 

Henry  Mapple,  Wm.  Brown,  and  James  Lodge  Mapple,  Telegraphic 
Machine,  June,  1847. — They  magnetized  a  steel  dial  by  electricity,  and 
thereby  made  a  steel  pointer  to  move  over  it. — Rept.  Patents,  Feb. 
1848. 

Barlow  and  Foster's  Improvements  in  Electric  Telegraphs,  April  27, 
1848. — 1st.  Coating  the  telegraphic  wires  with  a  compound,  consist- 
ing of  one  part  by  weight  of  New  Zealand  gum,  and  one  part  of  milk 
of  sulphur,  added  to  eight  parts  of  gutta  percha,  by  little  and  little, 
while  in  a  kneading  trough,  at  a  temperature  of  120°  Fahr.  The  coat- 
ing is  effected  as  follows :  Two  pairs  of  rollers  are  made  to  revolve 
by  means  of  suitable  gearing,  at  one  uniform  speed,  and  each  pair  is 
provided  with  a  pipe,  fitted  steam-tight,  to  one  end  of  their  axis, 
through  which  pipe  steam  is  admitted  at  pleasure,  which  serves  to 
bring  the  rollers  to  a  temperature  Sufficient  to  soften  partially  two 
bands  of  gutta  percha,  passed  between  them.  Then,  there  is  another 
pair  of  rollers,  which  have  their  surfaces  cut  with  semicircular  grooves; 
the  grooves  of  the  one  roller  corresponding  or  falling  right  over  those 
of  the  other.  The  wires  to  be  covered  are  wound  upon  reels,  from 
which  they  pass  between  the  second  pair  of  rollers.  The  bands  or 
fillets  of  gutta  percha  are  passed  between  the  first  pair  of  rollers  (and 


134  THE  ELECTKO-MAGXETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

are  so  brought  into  an  adhesive  state),  and  the  two  bands  of  gutta 
percha,  with  the  wires  between  them,  are  in  this  state  passed  between 
the  second  pair  of  rollers,  by  which  the  fillets  of  gutta  percha  are  made 
to  adhere  together,  and  consequently  to  envelop  the  wires. 

2d.  The  governing  the  currents  of  electricity,  so  as  to  cause  each 
pulsation  thereof,  separately  or  conjoined,  to  indicate  different  signs 
or  symbols. 

3d.  The  patentees  describe  an  electric  telegraph  apparatus  for  indi- 
cating the  passing  and  time  of  passing  of  a  railway  train. 

A  dial  is  pierced  with  fifty  holes  at  regular  distances,  in  which  holes 
small  plugs  are  placed.  This  dial  is  made  to  revolve  once  every  hour. 
A  metal  spring  presses  against  the  face  of  the  dial,  and  has  the  effect 
of  thrusting  back  any  plug  that  may  have  been  protruded.  Above 
the  dial  is  an  electro-magnet,  which  attracts,  on  the  passing  of  an  elec- 
tric current  from  the  station  which  the  train  has  just  passed,  one  end 
of  a  lever,  the  other  end  of  which  protrudes  the  plug  immediately 
underneath  beyond  the  face  of  the  dial,  so  that  the  attendant  is  ena- 
bled, by  looking  at  the  dial,  to  see  whether  the  train  has  passed  the 
station,  and  what  time  has  elapsed  since  it  passed. — London  Mech.  Mag. 
No.  1319,  Nov.  18,  1848. 

G.  F.  Johnson,  Oswego,  Tioga  County,  New  York.  Improvement  in 
Electric  Telegraphs,  May  16,  1848. — Claim:  First,  forming  signs  for 
telegraphic  purposes,  by  the  dropping  of  balls  upon  an  endless  belt 
moving  with  a  uniform  velocity.  Second,  I  claim  the  taking  off  im- 
pressions on  paper,  from  balls  as  dropped  substantially  in  the  manner 
described. — Franklin  Institute  Journal,  vol.  xvii.  3d  series,  p.  310. 

John  Lewis  Recardo,  Lownds  Square,  Middlesex,  England,  Sept.  18, 
1848. — 1st,  "Improvement"  to  a  mode  of  insulating  wire  for  electro- 
telegraph  purposes ;  and  2d,  to  an  apparatus  for  suspending  them. — 
Mechanics'  Magazine,  March,  1849. 

Edward  R.  Roe,  Improvements  in  the  Machine  for  Operating  or  Mani- 
pulating Morse's  Electro- Magnetic  Telegraph,  May,  1849. — The  invention 
consists,  1st,  of  movable  metallic  types  as  conductors  of  electricity  or 
galvanism ;  2d,  a  metallic  type  bed  upon  which  they  are  to  rest  (which 
is  also  movable  to  and  fro,  somewhat  in  the  manner  of  a  common 
printing  press) ;  and  3d,  a  movable  board,  which  is  also  a  conductor, 
and  is  made  to  traverse  the  face  of  the  types,  thereby  making,  con- 
tinuing, or  breaking  the  galvanic  circuit,  according  to  the  form  of  the 
types. 

Claim.  "  What  I  claim  as  my  invention  is,  1st.  The  combination 
of  the  body,  the  socket,  the  spiral  ring,  and  the  wand,  with  its  con- 
ducting point  and  its  non-conducting  inclined  planes,  the  whole  con- 
stituting the  traverser. 

"  2d.  I  claim  the  manner  of  giving  the  proper  motion  to  the  tra- 
verser, by  the  combination  and  action  of  the  traverse  wheel,  the 
pulley,  and  the  cord  which  plays  in  it,  the  teeth  upon  the  traverse 
wheel  and  the  brakes  operated  by  the  type  bed,  in  the  manner  set 
forth. 

"  3d.  I  claim  the  combination,  for  telegraphic  purposes,  of  the  types, 
arranged  in  the  manner  described,  with  the  traverse  and  its  wand,  and 


THE  ELECTKO MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  135 

its  conducting  point  guarded  by  non-conducting  inclined  planes." — 
Franklin  Institute  Journal,  vol.  xvii.  3d  series,  p.  320. 

Charles  Shepherd,  London.  Improvements,  April  16,  1849. — 1st.  The 
employment  in  chronometers,  of  apparatus  actuated  by  electro-mag- 
netism, for  winding  up  the  remontoir  escapement,  which  is  retained 
by  a  detent. 

2d.  Giving  audible  signals  in  chronometers  by  means  of  a  locking 
plate,  and  apparatus  connected  therewith,  worked  by  electro-mag- 
netism. 

3d.  An  arrangement  of  apparatus  for  making  and  breaking  the 
circuit. 

4th.  A  peculiar  arrangement  and  adaptation  of  apparatus,  worked 
by  electro -magnetism  to  chronometers. 

5th.  The  combination  in  chronometers  and  telegraphs,  of  two  pal- 
lets and  detents  for  giving  the  step  by  step  motion. — Lond.  Mech.  Maga- 
zine, Oct.  20,  1849. 

L.  G.  Curtis,  Ohio.  Improvement  in  Indicating  Telegraph,  January 
16,  1849. — "The  basis  of  the  American  Indicating  Telegraph  invented 
by  me,  is  upon  these  principles,  viz :  Electro-magnetism,  machinery, 
figures  and  signs,  and  their  combinations. 

"  This  end  is  obtained  by  means  of  a  revolving  disk  or  dial-plate, 
marked  with  successive  series  of  numerals,  01234,  arranged  in  a 
circle  or  otherwise,  said  dial -plate  being  revolved  by  degrees,  as  the 
galvanic  current  is  completed  and  broken  by  the  alternate  vibration 
of  the  lever,  to  which  the  pallets,  armature  and  springs  are  attached." 
— Franklin  Institute  Journal,  vol.  xviii.  3d  series,  p.  280. 

Caleb  Winegar,  New  York.  Improvement  in  Magnetic  Telegraphs, 
March  20,  1849. — Claim:  "Moving  the  paper  on  which  telegraphic 
marks  are  made,  into  and  out  of  contact  with  a  stationary  pen,  by 
which  means  I  avoid  the  danger  of  dispersing  the  ink,  which  happens 
when  the  pen  is  rapidly  agitated. 

"  I  also  claim  operating  the  magnet  which  effects  the  movement  of 
the  paper. 

"  I  also  claim  the  arrangement  for  conveying  ink  to  the  stationary 
pen,"  &c.  &c. — Franklin  Institute  Journal,  vol.  xviii.  3d  series,  p.  361/ 

M.  Dugardin.  Method  of  Insulating  the  Metallic  Wires  intended  for 
Subterranean  or  Submarine  Telegraph. — "  This  process  consists  of  two 
operations.  The  first  is  the  wrapping  of  ribbon  of  caoutchouc  y4^ 
of  an  inch  wide,  and  T  -g  c  of  an  inch  thick,  around  a  metallic  wire,  so 
that  each  turn  of  the  wrapping  shall  cover  about  one-half  of  the  pre- 
ceding one.  The  second  consists  in  wrapping  spirally,  and  T^ 
thick,  so  that  the  edge  of  each  turn  shall  touch  the  former,  but  without 
lapping  over  it.  The  leaden  envelop  serves  to  protect  the  caoutchouc 
from  blows."  (Comptes  de  V Academic  des  Sciences,  for  January  2d, 
1849.) — Franklin  Institute  Journal,  vol.  xvii.  3d  series,  p.  284. 

Henry  G.  Hall,  Ohio.  Improvement  in  Posts  for  Telegraphs,  &c.,  Sept. 
19,  1848. — Preventing  the  posts  from  rolling,  by  combining  the  cast- 
iron  or  artificial  stone  shoes  with  the  posts. — Franklin  Institute  Jour- 
nal, vol.  xxiii.  3d  series,  p.  102. 

Improvements  in  Electro- Telegraphic  Apparatus  and  Machinery.     Wm. 


136  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

7'homas  Henley  and  David  George  Foster,  of  ClerJcemueU,  London,  Jan- 
uary 10,  1849. — The  invention  consists,  Firstly,  in  certain  improved 
arrangements  of  electric  apparatus,  whereby  a  visible  index  hand  or 
pointer  is  directly  acted  upon  by  a  single  magnet  suspended  within 
the  sphere  of  influence  of  an  electro  or  other  magnet,  having  each  of 
its  extremities  converted  or  resolved  into  two  or  more  poles. 

Secondly.  Our  invention  consists  in  keeping  the  magnetic  bar,  nee- 
dle, or  pointer,  in  one  position  for  any  length  of  time,  or  imparting  to 
such  bar,  needle,  or  pointer,  any  number  of  distinct  deflections  or 
movements,  by  means  of  the  current  or  currents  derived  from  mag- 
neto-electricity, and  also  in  making  use  of  the  residual  magnetism  to 
act  upon  the  needle  on  its  return  to  its  stationary  position,  instead 
of  the  force  of  gravity ;  that  is  to  say,  in  moving  the  n9edle  in  one 
direction  by  the  induced  current,  and  bringing  it  back  to  its  stationary 
position  by  the  action  of  the  reversed  inductive  current,  whereby  the 
motions  of  the  needles  are  increased  in  rapidity,  and  rendered  much 
more  marked  and  distinct  than  heretofore. 

Thirdly.  Our  invention  consists  in  certain  improved  arrangements 
of  the  magneto-electro  apparatus  used  in  electric  telegraphs,  whereby 
two  distinct  currents  may  be  derived  from  the  same  magnet,  and  the 
reversed  current  can  be  made  of  equal  intensity  with  the  primary 
induced  current,  and  single  or  double  currents  may  be  sent,  as  re- 
quired, through  any  required  number  of  instruments  at  different 
stations. 

Fourthly.  Our  invention  consists  in  the  improved  apportionment  of 
the  signs  or  symbols  used  in  electric  telegraphs.  [The  object  of  this 
new  apportionment  is  to  reduce  the  number  of  movements  requisite, 
and  it  seems  very  successfully  carried  out.  We  pass  over  the  details, 
which  would  occupy  more  space  than  we  can  afford  to  them.] 

Fifthly.  Our  invention  consists  of  an  improved  compound  of  gutta 
percha,  suitable  for  the  insulation,  covering,  and  exterior  protection 
of  wire  and  other  metallic  substances  employed  to  transmit  currents 
of  electricity.  We  mix  the  gutta  percha  nearly  in  equal  portions,  by 
weight,  with  sand  which  has  been  ground  or  pounded  to  a  degree  of 
fineness  exceeding  that  of  the  finest  natural  sand,  or  with  the  siftings 
of  glass  paper  manufactories,  or  glass  fragments  and  particles  of  any 
sort,  reduced  to  a  similar  degree  of  fineness,  and  this  either  by  mixing 
the  pulverized  sand  or  glass  with  the  gutta  percha  in  a  state  of  solu- 
tion, or  while  in  a  plastic  state. 

Sixthly.  Our  invention  consists  in  the  employment  of  a  current 
reverser  of  a  peculiar  construction,  whereby  we  are  enabled  to  dis- 
pense with  the  use  of  magneto  apparatuses  for  the  purpose  of  deriving 
currents  of  electricity  in  the  manner  before  described,  and  to  substitute 
in  lieu  thereof,  voltaic  batteries,  such  as  are  commonly  in  use  for  the 
purpose  of  transmitting  currents  of  electricity  along  metallic  con- 
ductors, such  reverser  completing  the  circuit  twice  during  its  motion, 
by  the  transmission  of  a  reversed  current,  in  the  manner  of  the  mag- 
neto machines. 

Seventhly.  Our  invention  consists  in  the  employment,  in  manner 
following,  of  currents  of  electricity  to  regulate  and  govern  the  motions 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  137 

of  time-keepers,  whether  the  same  be  influenced  by  a  current  from  a 
distant  station  or  otherwise.  We  make  use  for  this  purpose  of  the 
currents  of  either  magneto  or  voltaic  electricity;  but  obtained  in  the 
latter  case  without  the  aid  of  soft  iron  from  two  hollow  coils  of  insu- 
lated wire  affixed  to  the  pendulum  of  the  regulator,  and  surrounding 
the  poles  of  two  permanent  horseshoe  magnets  which  coils  vibrate 
in  the  direction  of  their  length  alternately,  off  one  pole  on  to  the 
other,  a  current  being  induced  at  each  vibration,  but  in  opposite 
directions. 

Claims. — 1.  We  claim  in  respect  to  electric  telegraphs,  and  to  all 
machines  or  machinery,  to  the  moving  of  which  electricity  is  or  may 
be  applied,  the  different  arrangements  of  apparatus  described  under 
the  first  head  of  this  specification,  in  so  far  as  respects  the  division  of 
each  pole  of  the  magnet  into  two  or  more  poles,  and  the  direct  action 
on  the  index  hand  or  pointer,  or  other  recipient  of  the  magnetic  in- 
fluence. 

2.  We  claim  the  mode  of  causing  the  index  hand  or  pointer  to  be 
permanently  deflected  (that  is  for  any  length  of  time  required)  in  one 
direction,  and  bringing  it  back  by  the  reversed  current  to  its  original 
stationary  position,  and  keeping  it  there,  as  before  described. 

3.  We  claim  the  three  several  magneto -electric  apparatuses  described 
under  the  third  head  of  this  specification,  in  so  far  as  regards  the 
peculiar  arrangements  and  combinations,  whereby  two  distinct  currents 
are  obtained  from  the  same  magnet ;  the  reversed  current  is  obtained 
of  equal  intensity  with  the  primarily  induced  current,  and  either  single 
or  double  currents  may  be  sent  as  required  through  any  number  of 
instruments  at  different  stations. 

4.  We  claim  the  improved  system  of  visible  symbols  suitable  for 
electric  telegraphs,  before  described  and  exemplified. 

5.  We  claim  the  employment  in  electric  telegraphs,  and  in  all  other 
machines  and  machinery  to  the  moving  of  which  electricity  is  applied, 
of  the  peculiar  compound  of  gutta  percha,  before  described,  for  pur- 
poses of  insulation  and  protection. 

6.  We  claim  the  improved  current  reverser,  before  described,  in  so 
far  as  respects  the  effecting  by  a  single  depression  of  the  lever  or  key, 
the  completing,  reversing,  and  breaking  of  the*electric  current. 

7.  We  claim  the  application  of  currents  of  magneto-electricity  to 
regulate  the  motion  of  time-keepers  in  the  peculiar  manner  described 
under  the  seventh  head  of  this  specification ;  that  is  to  say,  in  so  far 
as  regards  the  obtaining  of  the  currents  from  the  inductive  action  of 
permanent  magnets  and  coils  of  insulated  wire  without  the  aid  of  soft 
iron.     And — 

8.  We  claim  the  application  to  the  regulating  of  time-keepers  of 
currents  of  electricity  (whether  magneto  or  voltaic)  transmitted  from 
a  primary  or  standard  clock  by  the  improved  apparatuses  and  instru- 
ments, and  by  the  peculiar  modes  before  described,  that  is  'to  say,  in 
so  far  as  regards  the  alternate  transmission  of  the  current  in  opposite 
directions,  and  the  different  mechanical  arrangements  whereby  that  is 
effected. — London  Mech.  Mag.  vol.  1.  p.  148. 

Henleijs  Magneto- Electric  Telegraph. — An  experiment  has  been  made 


188  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

under  the  direction  of  the  French  Government,  to  test  the  efficacy  of  Mr. 
Henley's  Magneto-Electric  Telegraph,  which  is  worked  without  batteries 
of  any  kind,  and  at  a  fraction  of  the  cost  of  the  voltaic  system.  The 
line  of  railway  assumed  for  the  trial  was  that  from  Paris  to  Yalen- 
ciennes.  The  persons  present  at  the  two  stations  were  the  Director  of 
the  French  Telegraph,  a  commissioner  appointed  by  the  Belgian 
Government,  and  a  few  others.  The  distance  is  180  miles,  being  the 
longest  telegraph  line  in  France.  After  a  most  satisfactory  series  of 
trials  on  the  single  distance,  first  with  full  power,  and  afterwards  with 
one-twentieth  of  the  power,  the  wires  were  connected  so  as  to  treble 
the  total  length  of  wire,  making  540  miles  to  and  from  Paris  and 
back ;  the  magnetic  message  being  communicated  through  the  first 
wire,  back  by  the  second,  through  the  third,  and  back  again  by  the 
earth.  It  was  not  anticipated  that  the  magnet  could  possibly  work 
through  this  resistance ;  but,  in  fact,  it  is  alleged  it  was  worked  as 
directly  and  rapidly  as  when  only  made  to  traverse  the  180  miles  with 
full  power.  The  ordinary  telegraph,  with  battery  power,  used  by  the 
French  Government,  was  then  put  in  requisition,  but  not  the  slightest 
effect  was  produced.  On  the  single  distance,  even,  a  signal  was  not 
obtained  for  several  minutes,  owing,  it  is  said,  to  some  fault  in  the 
batteries.  The  government  officers  and  others  inspecting  the  working 
operation,  expressed  themselves  thoroughly  satisfied  with  the  series  of 
trials. — London  Mining  Journal,  1850. 

Highton's  Improvement  in  Electric  Telegraphs. — On  February  7,  1850, 
Mr;  Edward  Highton,  Engineer,  Middlesex,  England,  patented  the 
following  arrangement  of  telegraphic  circuits :  "  Two  or  more  signal- 
izing instruments,  and  to  each  instrument  two  batteries  are  connected, 
so  placed  in  regard  to  their  poles  as  to  work  in  opposite  directions. 
A  method  of  working  electric  telegraphs  by  the  inductive  influence  of 
electro -magnets,  making  the  dials,  which  carry  the  letters  or  characters, 
movable,  instead  of  the  pointers.  As  many  of  his  claims  are  old,  I 
only  notice  such  as  are  important.  He  incloses  his  wires  in  flexible 
materials,  such  as  lead ;  this  was  done  in  1844,  by  Prof.  Morse.  The 
protecting  the  telegraphic  wires  by  enveloping  them  in  masonry ;  also, 
enamelling  the  exterior  surface  with  gutta  percha,  rubbing  the  sur- 
face over  with  naphtha,  or  other  solvents,  and  then  smoothing  it  down 
by  a  cushion  or  brush. 

A  method  of  constructing  the  supporting  posts  out  of  a  number  of 
planks  firmly  united  together,  instead  of  out  of  one  piece  of  timber, 
cut  taperingly,  as  has  hitherto  been  the  custom. 

Eemoving  the  atmospheric  electricity  which  is  collected  during 
storms  or  other  atmospheric  disturbances,  by  causing  the  line  wire,  or 
a  bar  of  iron  connected  thereto,  previously  inclosed  in  bibulous  paper, 
or  other  fabric,  to  pass  through  a  mass  of  iron  filings. — London  Mech. 
l%.No.  1413,  Sept.  1,  1850. 

Brown  and  Williams1  s  Improvements  in  Electric  and  Magnetic  Tele- 
graphs, March  17,  1850. — The  only  new  claim  is  a  method  of  protect- 
ing the  conducting  wires  of  electric  telegraphs  by  strands  of  hemp  put 
on  by  a  braiding  engine,  and  then  coating  the  whole  by  gutta  percha. 
And  a  method  of  connecting  the"  transmitting  wires  by  screwing  one 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  139 

end  of  a  wire  into  a  nut  formed  on  the  corresponding  end  of  the  next 
wire. — London  Mech.  Mag.  March  7,  1850. 

W.  S.  Thomas's  Improvements  in  Electric  Telegraphs,  patented  Feb.  12, 
1850. — Claim :  What  I  claim  as  new  is,  the  making  of  signals  or  marks 
for  telegraphic  purposes  by  the  agency  of  heat,  generated,  induced,  or 
controlled  by  a  current  of  electricity  passed  along  attenuated  conduct- 
ors, wires,  or  points ;  the  signals  being  the  flashes  of  light  emitted  by 
the  heated  conductor  or  points,  are  manifest  to  the  eye  of  the  operator ; 
the  marks  being  produced  on  the  paper  by  the  heated  point  or  con- 
ductor are  the  record  of  the  message. — Journ.  Frank.  Inst.  Sept.  1850. 

Mr.  J.  L.  Palvermacher,  C.  E.,  of  Vienna.  Improvement  in  Galvanic 
Batteries,  in  Electric  Telegraphs,  and  Electro- Magnetic  and  Magneto-Elec- 
tric Machines. — I  only  notice  his  improvements  in  electric  telegraphs, 
that  is  to  say,  in  so  far  as  regards,  1st.  A  method  of  varying  the  in- 
tensity of  the  current,  either  by  increasing  or  diminishing  the  number 
of  elements  employed,  or  by  interposing  more  or  less  powerful  resist- 
ance to  the  current.  2d.  The  imprinting  letters  or  signs  by  one  com- 
pletion of  the  current.  3d.  The  substitution  of  a  letter  cylinder  for 
the  letter  wheel  ordinarily  employed,  and  a  method  of  arranging  the 
letters  and  signs  on  each  cylinder.  4th.  The  application  of  a  double 
escapement,  each  capable  of  assuming  four  directions,  and  each  pro- 
ducing effects  different  from  those  produced  by  the  others.  5th.  The 
employment  of  four  electro-magnets,  to  act  on  two  soft  iron  bars,  and 
thereby  render  a  weak  galvanic  current  available  in  two  directions, 
and  productive  of  two  separate  and  distinct  effects.  And,  6th.  The 
method  of  gradually  detaching  the  keeper  from  the  electro-magnet,  by 
causing  the  springs  which  act  upon  the  keeper  magnet  to  come  only 
successively  into  operation. — Lond.  Min.  Journ.  vol.  xx.  p.  323,  July, 
1850. 

MitchelTs  Electric  Telegraph. — At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Philosophi- 
cal Society  of  Glasgow,  Alexander  Mitchell,  in  a  lecture  on  the  electric 
telegraph,  introduced  some  improvements  stated  to  have  been  made  by 
him  in  the  general  arrangement  of  the  instrument,  in  the  use  of  only 
one  wire,  and  in  the  great  facility  by  which  the  instrument  can  be 
worked.  As  given  in  a  Glasgow  paper,  it  appears  that  letters  are 
arranged  in  a  segment  in  front  of  the  operator,  and  corresponding  ones 
inscribing  on  keys  similar  to  those  of  a  piano-forte.  On  pressing  down 
a  key,  the  corresponding  letter  is  immediately  pointed  to  by  a  needle, 
a  similar  movement  taking  place  at  every  station  throughout  the  cir- 
cuit. We  know  not  if  Mr.  Mitchell  was  the  first  constructer  of  this 
kind  of  telegraph,  but  we  do  know  that  a  similar  one  was  exhibited 
two  years  since  at  the  Society  of  Arts  ;  and  we  also  know  that  several 
inventors  of  telegraphs  have  been  content  to  use  only  one  wire,  em- 
ploying the  earth  for  the  return  circuit. — London  Mining  Journ.  vol. 
xx.  April  13,  1850. 

Austin  F.  Partis  Improvements  in  Electric  Telegraph  Manipulators, 
Troy,  New  York,  August  27,  1850. — "  The  nature  of  my  invention  con- 
sists in  arranging  machinery  for  closing  and  breaking  an  electric  tele- 
graph circuit  in  transmitting  intelligence,  whereby  the  operator,  by 
giving  a  finger  key  one  instantaneous  touch,  as  distinguished  from  the 


140  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

prolonged  touch  applied  to  the  key  in  ordinary  machines,  closes  and 
breaks  the  electric  circuit,  at  and  during  such  times  as  is  required  to 
signal  or  record  a  telegraphic  sign  for  a  letter,  figure,  or  other  cha- 
racter."— Journ.  Frank.  Inst.  vol.  xx.  p.  245. 

The  machine  is  stated  to  be  ingenious,  but  unfortunately  it  is  too 
complicated.  The  advantages  of  its  use  are  to  prevent  mistakes  from 
being  made  by  telegraphic  operators.  I  have  not  given  the  claims, 
as  they  could  not  be  understood  without  a  drawing. 

Charles  tS.  Bulklei/s  Improvements  in  Repeaters  for  Electro- Magnetic 
Telegraphs,  Macon,  Bihb  Co.,  Georgia,  Nov.  12, 1850.— Claim :  "  What  I 
claim  as  my  invention  is,  the  manner  of  connecting  two  galvanic  cir- 
cuits with  the  two  electro-magnets  (in  the  said  repeater),  each  of  the 
said  galvanic  circuits,  as  it  passes  through  my  said  telegraphic  repeater, 
embracing  in  its  course  the  armature  of  the  opposite  electro-magnet, 
in  the  said  instrument,  previous  to  its  passing  through  the  helices  in 
the  electro-magnet,  embraced  in  its  own  respective  circuit. 

"In  combination  with  the  above,  I  also  claim  the  connecting  the 
points  with  the  galvanic  battery  (or  batteries),  when  the  said  points  are 
placed  in  such  positions  in  relation  to  the  armatures  of  the  electro- 
magnets in  my  said  telegraphic  repeater  that,  when  either  one  of  the 
said  electro-magnets  is  charged,  it  will,  by  attracting  its  armature 
against  one  of  the  points,  close  the  poles  of  the  galvanic  current  in 
which  the  opposite  electro-magnet  (in  the  instrument)  is  in  connection, 
and  thereby  throw  the  battery  into  said  circuit." — Journ.  Frank.  Inst. 
vol.  xxi.  3d  series. 

The  object  of  this  repeater  is  for  the  purpose  of  repeating  or  record- 
ing a  communication  in  several  places  at  once  along  a  line,  and  at  the 
same  time  allowing  the  galvanic  circuit  to  remain  open  when  the  line 
is  not  in  use. 

Siemens* s  Improvements  in  Electric  Telegraphs. — Ernst  Werner  Sie- 
mens, of  Berlin,  patented  in  England,  April  23,  1850,  the  following 
improvements. — Claims:  "1st.  The  constructing  electro-magnets  for 
telegraphic  purposes,  of  longitudinally  divided  tubes  of  iron  or  other 
magnetic  metal,  or  of  bundles  of  wire  of  iron  or  other  magnetic  metal. 

"  2d.  The  construction  of  instruments  for  obtaining  motion  for  tele- 
graphic purposes,  by  means  of  one  or  two  electro-magnets  revolving 
on  their  axes  within  the  fixed  coils,  by  which  they  are  rendered  mag- 
netic, or  mounted  on  a  transverse  axis,  and  vibrating  from  side  to  side 
within  the  coils,  by  which  they  are  magnetized. 

"  3d.  The  construction  of  instruments  for  producing  motion  for 
telegraphic  purposes  by  means  of  metallic  spiral  coils  or  bands  tra- 
versed by  electric  currents,  and  attracting  or  repelling  each  other ; 
also  producing  motion  in  such  spirals  by  the  proximity  of  permanent 
magnets,  which  at  the  same  time  serve  to  produce  electric  currents  by 
induction  for  working  telegraphic  apparatus. 

"  4th.  The  construction  of  the  conducting  contact  pieces  of  alloys 
of  platinum,  iridium,  or  palladium  with  gold  or  silver,  whether  such 
alloys  be  farther  alloyed  by  the  admixture  of  other  metals  or  not. 

"5th.  The  construction  of  electric  telegraphic  printing  apparatus 
in  such  manner  that  the  magnet,  which  wrorks  the  step  by  step  motion, 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  141 

breaks  and  restores  the  circuit  by  the  oscillation  of  the  armature,  or 
of  the  moving  magnet  itself. 

"  6th.  The  combining  of  electric  telegraphic  printing  apparatus  in 
the  same  circuit  with  indicating  apparatus,  when  the  magnets  which 
work  the  step  by  step  motion  of  either  or  both  instruments  break  and 
restore  the  circuit  by  the  oscillation  of  the  armatures,  or  of  the  mag- 
nets themselves. 

"  7th.  The  impression  of  the  types  on  the  paper  at  the  instant  that 
the  type  wheel  stops,  by  arranging  the  electro-magnet  which  acts  on . 
the  hammer,  so  that  the  short  intermittent  currents  which  work 
the  electro-magnet  of  the  type  wheel  traverses  the  coils  of  this  mag- 
net without  producing  motion  of  the  armature,  which,  however,  is  set 
in  motion  when  the  current  is  rendered  continuous  by  the  stoppage 
of  the  type  wheel. 

"  8th.  The  arrangement  of  the  magnet  which  acts  on  the  hammer 
in  electro-telegraphic  printing  apparatus,  so  that  its  own  circuit  is 
broken  by  the  magnet  itself  towards  the  end  of  its  stroke. 

"  9th.  The  arrangement  of  apparatus  in  electric  printing  appara- 
tus in  such  manner  that  the  printing  is  effected  by  pressing  the  type 
against  paper,  in  contact  with  an  inked  roller. 

"  10th.  An  arrangement  for  retaining  the  moving  piece  which  breaks 
and  restores  the  electric  circuit  in  its  respective  positions. 

"  llth.  The  application  of  a  small  pin  for  preventing  the  overrun- 
ing  of  the  ratchet-wheel  in  electric  telegraphic  apparatus,  with  the 
step  by  step  motion. 

"  12th.  The  arrangement  of  a  transmitting  apparatus  with  an  indi- 
cating or  printing  electric  apparatus  worked  by  step  by  step  motion, 
or  with  both  together,  in  such  manner  that  the  transmitting  apparatus 
breaks  and  restores  the  circuit  of  the  telegraphic  apparatus,  which  re- 
ciprocally breaks  and  restores  the  circuit  of  the  transmitting  instru- 
ment. 

"  13th.  The  combination  of  a  self-acting  alarum,  with  a  transmitting 
apparatus. 

"  14th.  The  combination  of  a  self-acting  alarum  with  a  transmitting 
instrument,  which  breaks  and  restores  the  circuit  of  the  alarum  mag- 
net, which  in  its  turn  reciprocally  breaks  and  restores  the  circuit  of 
the  transmitting  instrument. 

"15th.  The  combination  of  one  or  two  cylinders  carrying  pins,  with 
a  series  of  springs  and  keys,  for  making  contacts  for  transmitting  a 
distinct  determinate  succession  of  electric  currents  in  one  or  both  di- 
rections by  the  depression  of  each  key. 

"  16th.  The  employment  of  an  implement  of  the  nature  of  a  plough, 
and  revolving  cutters  for  making  trenches  or  channels  to  receive  un- 
derground line  wires. 

"  17th.  The  application  of  the  propelling  power  of  a  locomotive 
engine  to  giving  motion  to  such  implements. 

"18th.  Conducting  under-ground  line  wires  into  the  ground,  by 
means  of  suitable  guides,  which  either  form  part  of,  or  immediately 
follow,  the  cutting  instruments. 

"19th.  The  following  improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  coated 


142  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

wire  for  electric  telegraphic  purposes;  1st,  an  arrangement  of  ma- 
chinery for  coating  the  wire,  with  two  cylinders  and  pistons,  by  which 
the  pressure  of  the  serni-fluid  mass  against  the  wire  is  equalized  ;  2d, 
arranging  these  cylinders  (or  cylinder  when  only  one  is  used),  so  that 
they  may  be  removed  and  replaced  by  others,  while  the  former  are 
being  discharged ;  and  3d,  the  consolidating  of  gutta  percha  or  its 
compounds,  within  these  cylinders  in  vacuo. 

"  20th.  The  testing  of  coated  wire  for  telegraphic  purposes,  by  pass- 
ing it  through  water,  with  which  is  connected  an  apparatus  capable  of 
producing  electric  shocks,  so  that  the  circuit  may  include  the  person 
of  the  operator,  and  may  be  completed  by  the  passage  of  the  elec- 
tricity through  the  defects  in  the  coating  in  the  wires. 

"21st.  The  covering  of  insulated  under-ground  line  wires  with 
strips  of  sheet  lead. 

"  22d.  Establishing  a  direct  communication  between  under-ground 
line  wires  and  the  earth,  by  means  of  a  thin  wire  of  German  silver, 
or  some  other  imperfectly  conducting  substance,  so  that  the  resistance 
to  the  passage  of  the  electricity  may  be  capable  of  being  regulated  at 
pleasure." — London  Mechanics'  Magazine,  No.  1421,  Nov.  2,  1850. 

An  interesting  report  of  M.  Siemens'  telegraph  to  the  Academy  of 
Science,  Paris,  will  be  found  in  vol.  xxi.  third  series,  of  this  Journal, 
pp.  209  and  215,  1850. 

The  commission  conclude  their  report  of  M.  Siemens's  apparatus  in 
the  following  words :  "The  commission  have  examined  M.  Siemens's 
apparatus  with  great  interest,  and  remarked,  throughout,  an  evidence 
of  a  perfect  intelligence  of  the  theory,  as  M.  Siemens  appears  to  have 
taken  into  account  all  the  complicated  phenomena  which  are  mani- 
fested in  the  conductors  and  electro-magnets,  especially  when  the 
actions  are  of  short  duration. 

"  M.  Siemens's  system,  if  worked  with  care  and  attention,  appears  to 
possess  incontestable  superiority  over  all  other  apparatus  of  the  like 
nature,  that  is  to  say,  the  ordinary  arrangement  of  alphabetic  appa- 
ratus, as  the  latter  do  not  work  with  the  same  degree  of  precision 
and  accuracy.  With  regard  to  speed,  the  commission  are  led  to  be- 
lieve that  M.  Siemens's  apparatus  surpasses  all  other  alphabetic  appa- 
ratus ;  their  opinion  is,  also,  that  M.  Siemens's  improvements  in  the 
construction  of  electro-magnets  will  prove  advantageous." 

Horn's  Igniting  Telegraph,  patented  June  25,  1850. — The  register 
invented  by  Gr.  H.  Horn,  of  Boston,  employs  a  principle,  namely,  the 
heating  or  igniting  effect  of  electricity.  When  an  electrical  current 
flows  through  a  fine  platinum  wire,  it  ignites  it,  or  brings  it  to  a  red 
heat.  If  this  wire  is  bent,  as  at  A,  in  Fig.  57,  so  as  to  be  in  contact, 
for  a  short  distance,  with  a  moving  fillet  of  paper,  it  will  burn  a  hole 
through  the  paper  when  the  current  passes.  This  can  be  done  with 
great  rapidity,  so  as  to  represent,  probably,  a  hundred  linear  letters  per 
minute. 

The  greater  part  of  this  instrument  consists  of  the  clock-work, 
spool,  &c.,  required  for  moving  the  paper.  Above  the  clock-work 
are  two  pillars,  supporting  an  axis,  upon  which  is  the  adjustable 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  143 

wire-holder,  the  lower  extremity  of  which  is  seen  touching  the  fillet 
of  paper.  By  means  of  the  connections  and  insulations  of  the  pillars, 
axis,  and  wire-holder,  the  platinum  wire,  which  passes  over  a 
little  slip  of  porcelain  at  the  end  of  the  wire-holder,  becomes  part  of 
the  circuit,  with  which  the  two  screw-cups  on  the  right  of  the 
base-board  are  connected.  When  the  wire  needs  adjustment,  the 
wire-holder  can  be  turned  upon  its  axis.  The  bed  supporting  the 
fillet  of  paper  is  also  adjustable,  so  as  to  regulate  the  contact  between 
the  wire  and  the  paper. 

This  register  requires  a  quantity  current  to  produce  the  effect  of 
ignition,  and  therefore  needs  a  receiving  instrument  and  local  battery, 
to  be  operated  by  the  telegraphic  circuit. — Book  of  the  Telegraph,  p.  37. 

This  telegraph  is  the  same  in  principle  with  that  patented  by  Wm. 
S.  Thomas,  Feb.  13,  1850. 

Fig.  57. 


Batchelder  and  Farmer's  Pyrographic  Telegraph  Register. 

The  record  is  made  upon  various  kinds  of  paper,  by  means  of  a 
heated  wire,  which  is  moved  to  or  from  the  paper  by  a  deflecting 
needle,  the  marking  wire  being  heated  by  a  spirit-lamp, "or  other  con- 
venient generator  of  heat.  We  find  that  the  pink  tissue  paper,  made 
from  linen  stock,  is  the  best  for  the  purpose,  the  straw-colored  mark 
being  very  legible  on  the  pink  ground.  The  paper  is  used  dry,  and 
may  be  in  the  form  of  a  fillet,  or  in  a  large  sheet,  which  may  be  filed 
and  preserved  for  reference.  The  slightest  contact  of  the  heated  wire 
with  the  paper  is  sufficient  to  produce  a  distinct  mark,  so  that  we 
make  the  record  without  using  a  local  or  branch  circuit. — Boston. 
1853. 

The  Telegraph  of  Brett  and  Little,  of  London. — The  magnet  employed 


144  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

in  tliis  telegraph  is  in  the  form  of  a  ring  or  horseshoe,  and  is  suspended 
in  the  centre  of  helices  of  copper  wire,  which  are  double  and  of  a  cir- 
cular form.  This  magnet  is  deflected  either  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the 
left,  according  to  the  direction  of  the  current.  The  indicators  are  not 
magnets,  but  are  moved  by  the  agency  of  the  magnets,  by  which  a  dis- 
tinct and  certain  indication  is  insured. 

Another  modification  of  this  instrument  has  been  made  by  Mr. 
Little,  which  is  as  follows  :  The  patent  instrument  is  of  the  form  of  a 
disk  of  mahogany,  about  1  foot  high  by  8  inches  broad,  standing  in  a 
vertical  position  on  a  pedestal ;  the  only  appliances  at  the  back  being 
the  metallic  buttons,  or  binding  screws,  necessary  to  convey  the  gal- 
vanic fluid  from  the  battery  to  the  indicators.  Two  tubes  of  glass, 
about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter  and  3  inches  high,  are  placed 
in  front  of  the  disk,  with  the  alphabet  engraved  on  a  metallic  plate 
placed  between  them,  with  the  number  of  deflections  required  to  express 
each  letter,  stated  in  plain  figures.  On  the  top  of  each  of  these  tubes, 
which  contain  spirits  of  wine,  is  a  small  but  powerful  cylindrical 
magnet  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  from  the  bottom  of 
which  are  suspended,  by  magnetic  attraction,  two  needles  with  the 
points  upwards. 

On  completing  the  galvanic  circuit,  these  needles  are  deflected  with 
equal  rapidity  with  one  on  an  axis ;  and,  on  breaking  connection,  the 
needle  is  instantly  arrested  in  its  fall  to  the  perpendicular  by  the 
density  of  the  fluid,  with  almost  as  dead  a  stop  as  the  seconds  hand 
of  a  watch,  avoiding  the  vibration  so  annoying  in  the  old  system, 
which  tends  so  much  to  puzzle  and  mislead. — Loud.  Mining  Journ.  vol. 
xxi.  p.  183. 

BakeweWs  Electric  Telegraph. — This  is  a  modification  of  the  instru- 
ment of  Alex.  Bain,  Esq.,  noticed  under  the  head  of  Electro-chemical 
Telegraph,  employing  the  same  chemical  agent,  but  instead  of  holes 
cut  in  paper,  the  message  to  be  sent  is  written  on  a  sheet  of  tinfoil  with 
sealing-wax  varnish ;  this  is  placed  on  the  transmitting  cylinder ;  all 
the  lines  of  the  non-conducting  varnish  serving  to  break  the  connec- 
tion. On  the  receiving  cylinder,  a  sheet  of  paper  moistened  with 
acidulated  ferro-prussiate  of  potash  is  placed.  When  the  connection 
is  completed,  electro-chemical  decomposition  is  effected ;  and  where 
any  interruption  occurs,  no  change  takes  place. 

Improvements  in  Electric  Telegraphs,  by  John  McGregor.  —  In  No. 
1409  of  the  London  Mechanics'1  Magazine,  for  1850,  there  is  a  notice  of  a 
patent  for  some  improvements  in.  Electric  Telegraphs,  and  amongst  the 
abstract  of  claims  is  the  following : — 

"8.  An  arrangement  for  sounding  one  out  of  a  number  of  ala- 
rums." 

It  is  impossible,  of  course,  to  infer  from  this  brief  notice  what  are 
the  particulars  of  the  invention,  and  I  am  not  aware  of  the  mode  at 
present  adopted.  If  there  be  none,  by  which  one  only  out  of  a  num- 
ber of  stations  may  be  signalled,  then  I  would  propose  for  considera- 
tion a  plan  for  effecting  this  desirable  object  which  occurred  to  my 
mind  some  time  ago. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


145 


Let  the  accompanying  figure  represent  a 
wheel,  with  marks  1,  2,  3,  and  4,  at  equal 
distances  on  the  circumference,  and  corre- 
sponding in  number  to  the  whole  number  of 
stations,  say  60,  connected  by  telegraph. 

Let  the  axle  of  this  wheel  be  made  to  turn 
once  in  a  minute  by  clock-work,  and  the 
wheel  be  so  placed  on  the  axle  that  so  long 
as  a  detent  D  rests  on  a  projection  P  (oppo- 
site to  the  mark  0),  the  wheel  shall  be  at 
rest;  but  when  D  is  lifted  (by  electricity), 
the  wheel  shall  have  sufficient  friction-hold 
on  the  axle  to  cause  it  to  turn  round  in  the 

same  time — that  is,  once  in  a  minute.  Now  let  R  be  a  radial  arm, 
capable  of  being  placed  at  any  of  the  marks  1,  2,  3,  &c.,  and  furnished 
with  a  projection  T,  which  shall  always  pass  free  of  D,  but  be  caught 
by  a  catch  CJ  provided  that  catch  descends  when  T  is  within  a  certain 
distance  on  either  side  of  the  line  0  M.  The  catch  C  is  supposed  to 
be  moved  by  electricity,  and  if  it  falls  so  as  to  strike  T,  the  wheel  will 
be  stopped,  a  certain  circuit  be  completed,  and  a  bell  rung ;  but  if  0 
does  not  fall  on  T7,  it  will  be  wholly  inoperative  on  the  machine. 

A  wheel  similar  to  that  described  should  be  at  every  station,  and  in 
general  the  radial  arm  R,  at  each  station,  should  be  left  opposite  to 
the  particular  number  denoting  that  station. 

Thus  the  arm  R,  at  No.  2  or  No.  27,  will  be  at  angles  at  the  line  D 
N,  particularly  representing  such  stations  respectively. 

Supposing  magnets,  circuits,  and  bells  to  be  so  arranged  that  the 
bell  of  each  station  shall  be  set  ringing  only  when  a  current  is  com- 
pleted through  G  and  T,  we  may  describe  the  action  of  the  instrument 
as  follows : — 

If  station  No..  20  requires  to  correspond  with  No.  35,  then — 

1.  Put  the  arm  R  opposite  the  mark  35  on  the  rim. 

2.  Send  a  current  along  the  wire  which  will  release  the  detents  D  at 
all  the  stations,  and  all  the  wheels  will  commence  moving  (at  nearly  the 
same  rate). 

3.  When  the  point  T  comes  under  G  (that  is,  in  35  seconds),  the 
similar  point  at  station  No.  35  will  then  be  beneath  its  catch ;  therefore 
send  another  current  along  the  line,  which  will  affect  onlv  wheels  No. 
35  and  No.  20,  and  will  ring  the  bell  of  35. 

4.  After  the  communication  of  the  message,  return  the  wheels  20  and 
35  to  their  original  position.     All  the  other  wheels  will  have  gone 
round  for  one  minute,  and  will  themselves  have  come  into  the  exact 
position  they  were  in  at  first. 

By  this  means,  the  average  time  (in  the  above  supposed  circum- 
stances) required  to  signal  one  station  would  be  half  a  minute ;  but  if 
that  should  be  thought  too  long  (!)  the  wheels  might  move  at  double  the 
proposed  rate,  and  the  convenience  of  this  plan  will  depend  on  the  time 
of  revolution  of  the  wheels,  and  the  amount  of  margin  which  can  be 
permitted  on  either  side  of  a  perfect  agreement  of  their  motions. 

We  shall  see  that  a  comparatively  inaccurate  adjustment  would  not 
10 


146  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGEAPH. 

impair  the  usefulness  of  this  simple  apparatus  ;  for  if  the  catch  C  were 
made  of  such  a  breadth  as  to  operate  on  T,  when  it  is  at  the  distance 
from  the  line  M  C  represented  by  nearly  half  an  interval  on  either  side 
of  that  line,  an  error  of  nearly  half  a  second  in  a  minute  may  be  al- 
lowed without  deranging  the  instrument. 

Henry  Haighton,  of  England,  secured  a  patent  in  September,  1844, 
for  certain  improvements  in  electric  telegraphs. 

The  object  of  this  invention  being  to  adapt  a  system  of  telegraphing 
to  common  or  frictional  electricity,  the  inventor  uses  for  this  purpose 
a  Leyden  battery  charged  with  Armstrong's  hydro-electric,  or  other 
powerful  electric  machine.  For  the  purpose  of  regulating  the  number 
of  discharges  sent,  the  nature  of  the  charges  as  to  positive  and  nega- 
tive, and  the  times  at  which  the  discharges  are  transmitted,  an  instru- 
ment is  employed  which  admits  of  various  modifications  according  to 
circumstances.  By  this  invention,  it  can  be  shown  that  in  ten  dis- 
charges any  signal  out  of  a  number  of  sixteen  thousand  may  be  made ; 
and  by  thirty  discharges,  any  one  of  more  than  a  thousand  millions. 

"  The  method  of  reading  the  signals  at  the  terminal  point  is  by 
means  of  two  wires,  one  communicating  with  the  point  of  transmis- 
sion, and  the  other  with  the  earth ;  they  are  placed  at  right  angles  to 
a  sheet  of  paper  which  is  moved  along  by  machinery,  so  that  each  dis- 
charge may  traverse  the  surface,  and  penetrate  the  substance  of  the 
paper  close  to  the  wire  giving  out  the  negative  fluid.  The  paper  is 
colored  with  chromate  of  lead,  and  moistened  with  sulphuric  acid,  to 
expedite  the  passage  of  the  spark ;  and  by  this  means  the  sparks  leave 
upon  the  paper  a  register  of  the  signals  that  have  been  made." — Land. 
Mech.  Mag.  vol.  xlii.  p.  122. 


ON  THE 

TELEGRAPHIC  LINES  OF  THE  WORLD. 


UNITED  STATES. 

Ix  giving  an  account  of  the  number  of  telegraphic  lines,  it  will  be 
proper  to  place  the  United  States  as  first  on  the  list,  from  the  number 
and  extent  of  the  lines,  and  from  the  extensive  use  made  of  them  in 
every  department,  both  for  business  and  pleasure.  Still,  it  will  be 
but  an  approximation  to  the  number,  for  they  are  like  the  spider's 
web,  forming  a  complete  network  over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land,  from  the  extreme  north-eastern  point  to  the  western  boundary 
of  Missouri,  adjoining  the  Indian  territory.  A  continuous  line  of  tele- 
graph now  extends  from  the  verge  of  civilization  on  the  western 
frontier  (east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains)  to  the  north-eastern  extremity 
of  the  United  States ;  and  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  we  shall 
have  a  telegraph  from  the  Mississippi  Eiver  to  San  Francisco.  This  is 
no  fancy  sketch,  as  the  route  is  already  selected  for  the  California  line, 
and  a  most  interesting  report  was  presented  to  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States  in  the  session  of  1851,  by  the  Committee  on  Post  Offices 
and  Post  Roads. 

"  The  route  selected  by  the  committee  is,  according  to  the  survey 
of  Captain  W.  W.  Chapman,  U.  S.  Army,  one  of  the  best  that  could 
be  adopted,  possessing  as  it  does  great  local  advantages.  It  will  com- 
mence at  the  city  of  Natchez,  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,  running 
through  a  well  settled  portion  of  Northern  Texas,  to  the  town  of  El 
Paso,  on  the  Eio  Grande,  in  latitude  32°;  thence  to  the  junction  of  the 
Gila  and  Colorado  rivers,  crossing  at  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  California 
to  San  Diego,  on  the  Pacific ;  thence  along  the  coast  to  Monterey  and 
San  Francisco.  By  this  route,  the  whole  line  between  the  Mississippi 
River  and  Pacific  Ocean  will  be  south  of  latitude  33°;  consequently, 
almost  entirely  free  from  the  great  difficulties  to  be  encountered, 
owing  to  the  snow  and  ice  on  the  northern  route,  by  the  way  of  the 
South  Pass,  crossing  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  in  latitude  39°. 
The  whole  distance  from  the  Mississippi  to  San  Francisco  will  be  about 
2,400  miles." 

The  great  benefits  to  be  derived  the  report  fully  and  ably  sets 
forth,  whether  in  a  military,  commercial,  or  social  point  of  view. 


148  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

"In  a  commercial  point  of  view,  the  line  in  question  assumes  a 
gigantic  importance,  and  presents  itself  not  only  in  the  attitude  of  a 
means  of  communication  between  the  opposite  extremes  of  a  single 
country,  however  great,  but  as  a  channel  for  imparting  knowledge 
between  distant  parts  of  the  earth.  With  the  existing  facilities,  it 
requires  months  to  convey  information  from  the  sunny  climes  of  the 
East  to  the  less  favored,  in  point  of  climate,  but  not  less  important 
regions  of  the  West,  teeming  as  they  do  with  the  products  of  art  and 
enterprise.  Let  this  line  of  wires  be  established,  and  the  Pacific  and 
Atlantic  Oceans  become  as  one,  and  intelligence  will  be  conveyed  from 
London  to  India  in  a  shorter  time  than  was  required  ten  years  since 
to  transmit  a  letter  from  New  York  to  Liverpool. 

"  Nor  does  the  importance  of  the  undertaking  claim  less  interest, 
when  regarded  in  a  social  point  of  view.  California  is  being  peopled 
daily  and  hourly  by  our  friends,  our  kindred,  and  our  political  bre- 
thren. The  little  bands  that  a  few  centuries  since  landed  on  the 
western  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  have  now  become  a  mighty  nation. 
The  tide  of  population  has  been  rolling  onward,  increasing  as  it  ap- 
proached the  setting  sun,  until  at  length  our  people  look  abroad  upon 
the  Pacific,  and  have  their  homes  almost  within  sight  of  the  spice 
groves  of  Japan.  Although  separated  from  us  by  thousands  of  miles 
of  distance,  they  will  be  again  restored  to  us  in  feeling,  and  still  pre- 
sent to  our  affections,  through  the  help  of  this  noiseless  tenant  of  the 
wilderness." 

In  the  Congressional  Globe  of  April  6, 1852,  Mr.  Douglass  presented 
the  memorial  of  Henry  O'Keilly,  proposing  a  system  of  intercommu- 
nication by  mail  and  telegraph,  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
States.  All  he  asks  is  permission  to  establish  a  telegraphic  line  from 
the  Mississippi  Yalley,  where  the  wires  now  terminate,  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  and  to  be  protected  by  a  line  of  military  posts,  so  that  he  can 
keep  up  the  communication  for  the  benefit  both  of  the  government 
and  of  the  public.  Mr.  O'Keilly  states  in  this  memorial,  that,  within 
two  years  from  this  time,  with  this  line  completed,  he  would  be  able 
to  deliver  the  European  news  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  within  one 
week  from  the  time  it  left  the  European  Continent.  The  motion  was 
referred  to  the  Committee  on  Territories. 

I  am  happy  to  state  that  in  August,  1853,  the  project  of  telegraphic 
communication  with  the  Pacific  is  rapidly  becoming  feasible.  The 
vast  plains  which,  not  many  months  ago,  were  only  inhabited  by  wild 
Indians,  who  would  be  no  respecters  of  telegraph  wire,  are  now  the 
highways  over  which  thousands  of  emigrants  are  constantly  passing 
and  re  passing  towards  the  great  regions  which  border  upon  the  Pacific. 
In  view  of  the  necessity  of  this  important  matter,  the  Pacific  Telegraph 
Company  is  now  organized.  Mr.  H.  O'Reilly,  with  a  capital  of  five  mil- 
lions of  dollars,  the  bold  projector  of  the  scheme,  who  has  been  urging  it 
for  some  years,  has  been  appointed  President,  and  Tal.  P.  Shaffner 
Secretary.  Long  before  the  railroad  track  to  the  Pacific  is  graded,  the 
iron  highway  of  thought  will  be  open  to  all  who  desire  to  avail  them- 
selves of  its  important  privileges. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  149 

The  authorities  of  Newfoundland  have  granted  to  Mr.  H.  B.  Tibbatts 
and  associates,  of  New  York,  the  exclusive  right  to  construct  and  use 
the  magnetic  telegraph  across  that  island,  for  the  period  of  thirty 
years.  The  grant  is  designed  to  facilitate  Mr.  Tibbatts  in  his  scheme 
for  the  establishment  of  steam  and  telegraphic  communication  between 
New  York  and  Liverpool  or  London  in  five  days.  The  telegraph  is 
to  extend  from  New  York  to  St.  Johns,  from  whence  a  line  of  steamers 
is  to  run  to  Galway,  where  another  line  of  telegraph  is  to  commence, 
extending  to  London.  This  latter  line  will,  it  is  said,  be  completed 
during  the  current  year.  The  distance  from  St.  Johns  to  Galway  is 
1,647  miles,  or  about  five  days,  by  steam. 

I  am  very  sorry  to  state  that  "  the  Nova  Scotia  House  of  Assembly 
have  defeated,  by  a  vote  of  67  to  16,  a  bill  chartering  an  Opposition 
Telegraph  Company  across  that  province.  This  act  probably  seals 
the  fate  of  the  Submarine  Telegraph  from  Newfoundland.  The  object 
of  the  projectors  of  that  line  was  to  get  this  charter,  with  a  view 
to  an  exclusive  line  from  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  into  the  United 
States.  This  refusal  of  the  Nova  Scotia  Legislature  to  grant  them  a 
charter,  quashes  for  the  present  their  efforts,  and  we  presume  will 
arrest  the  construction  of  the  line." 

Advices  from  Newfoundland  state  that  the  work  upon  the  telegraph 
line  has  been  suspended,  and  that '  Mr.  Gisborne,  the  superintendent, 
has  left  the  province. — Halifax,  N.  &  August  22,  1853. 

I  cannot  but  regret  that  the  only  feasible  plan  of  uniting  the  United 
States  and  Europe  has  been  abandoned;  yet  I  still  hope  that  the  com- 
pany which  are  owners  of  the  regular  line  from  Halifax  will  take  it 
in  hand  and  carry  it  out,  so  that  there  may  be  communication  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  within  five  days. 

"  Telegraph  between  Europe  and  America. — The  idea  of  connect- 
ing Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  by  telegraph,  is  revived  in 
London  on  a  grand  scale.  The  proposition  is  to  extend  the  line 
from  Scotland  by  way  of  the  Orkney,  Shetland  and  Faroe  Islands  to 
Iceland,  and  thence  to  Greenland  ;  thence  across  Da  vis's  Straits  to 
Labrador  and  Quebec.  The  entire  length  of  the  line  will  be  2,500 
miles ;  and  the  submarine  portion  of  it  from  1,400  to  1,600.  From  the 
Shetland  Islands  it  is  proposed  to  carry  a  branch  to  Bergen,  in  Nor- 
way, connecting  it  there  with  a  line  to  Christiana,  Stockholm,  Gotten- 
burg  and  Copenhagen ;  from  Stockholm  a  line  may  easily  cross  the 
Gulf  of  Bothnia  to  St.  Petersburg.  The  whole  expense  of  this  great 
international  work  is  estimated  considerably  below  X500,000." 

There  are  numerous  lines  in  actual  and  successful  operation  under 
the  title  of  Morse,  House,  and  Bain,  each  giving  every  facility  to  the 
business  man. 

"  Three  Morse  wires  run  to  Boston,  three  to  Buffalo,  five  to  Phila- 
delphia, four  to  Washington,  and  two  on  to  New  Orleans;  on  the 
western  and  Canada  routes  there  is  generally  but  one." 

New  York  and  Boston  Magnetic  Telegraph  Company,  from  N.  York 
to  Boston,  about  250  miles ;  three  wires,  one  passing  through  Provi- 
dence, E.  Island,  the  other  through  Springfied,  Mass.,  using  the  Morse 
patent. 


150  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

Union  of  Telegraphs. — The  lines  of  the  Rhode  Island  Telegraph 
Company,  extending  from  Worcester  to  Providence,  Fall  River,  Taun- 
ton,  New  Bedford,  Warren  and  Bristol,  have  been  sold  to  the  New 
York  and  New  England  Union  Telegraph,  which  is  the  Morse  and 
Bain  line  united.  The  price  paid  is  $5,000.  The  cost  of  the  lines 
sold,  including  the  patent,  was  about  $20,000.  March  1,  1853. 

Merchants'  Telegraph  Company,  from  New  York  to  Boston,  about 
250  miles ;  two  wires  passing  through  Providence,  using  Bain's  patent. 

Boston  and  Portland  Telegraph  Company,  from  Boston  to  Portland, 
100  miles  ;  one  wire,  using  Morse's  patent. 

The  Merchants'  Telegraph  Company  have  one  wire  from  Boston  to 
Portland,  100  miles ;  Bain's  patent. 

The  New  York  and  Boston  Telegraph  Company,  and  Merchants' 
Telegraph  Company,  between  New  York  and  Boston,  have  consoli- 
dated and  formed  one  company  under  the  title  of  N.  York  and  N. 
England  Union  Telegraph  Company ;  Boston  and  Portland  are  also 
included  in  the  new  company,  which  extends  from  New  York  to 
Portland. 

Maine  Telegraph  Company,  from  Portland  to  Calais,  Maine,  about 
306  miles ;  one  wire ;  Morse's  patent. 

St.  Johns  and  Halifax  line,  from  Calais  to  Halifax,  about  400  miles ; 
one  wire ;  Morse's  patent. 

There  is  a  line  of  Bain  Telegraph  from  Boston  through  N.  Hamp- 
shire to  Burlington,  Yt.,  thence  to  Ogdensburg,  New  York ;  about  350 
miles ;  one  wire. 

New  York,  Albany,  and  Buffalo  line,  from  N.  York  to  Buffalo, 
through  Albany  and  Troy ;  513  miles  long ;  three  wires,  using  Morse's 
patent. 

New  York  State  Telegraph  Company,  from  N.  York  to  Buffalo,  via 
Albany,  two  wires ;  550  miles  long ;  with  a  branch  from  Syracuse  to 
Ogdensburg,  via  Oswego  ;  about  150  miles ;  one  wire ;  also  a  branch 
from  Troy  to  Saratoga,  36  miles  ;  one  wire ;  use  Bain's  patent.  There 
is  also  a  Morse  line  from  Syracuse  to  Oswego,  about  40  miles. 

House  Telegraph  Company,  from  N.  York  to  Buffalo,  via  Albany, 
550  miles ;  two  wires  ;  use  House's  patent. 

New  York  and  Erie  Telegraph,  from  New  York  to  Dunkirk,  via 
Newburg,  Binghamton,  and  Ithaca ;  440  miles,  one  wire ;  Morse's 
patent. 

.    New  York  and  Erie  railroad  Telegraph,  for  railroad  use,  along  the 
line  of  N.  York  and  Erie  Railroad,  460  miles ;  Morse's  patent. 

Magnetic  Telegraph  Company,  from  New  York  to  Washington,  via 
Philadelphia;  seven  wires,  260  miles;  Morse's  patent. 

House  line  from  New  York  to  Philadelphia,  100  miles,  one  wire ; 
House's  patent. 

Troy  and  Canada  Junction  Telegraph  Company,  from  Troy  to  Mont- 
real, through  Burlington,  Yt.,  260  miles ;  one  wire ;  Morse's  patent. 

Erie  and  Michigan  Telegraph  Company,  from  Buffalo  to  Milwaukie, 
via  Cleveland,  Detroit,  and  Chicago;  one  wire  all  the  way;  second 
wire  from  Buffalo  to  Cleveland ;  800  miles  long;  Morse's  patent. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  151 

Cleveland  and  Cincinnati  Telegraph  Company,  from  Cleveland  to 
Cincinnati ;  250  miles  long ;  two  wires ;  Morse's  patent. 

Cincinnati  to  St.  Louis,  via  Indianapolis,  400  miles  long ;  one  wire  ; 
Morse's  patent. 

Cleveland  and  Pittsburg  Telegraph  Company,  from  Cleveland  to 
Pittsburg,  150  miles,  one  wire ;  Morse's  patent. 

Cleveland  and  Zanesville  line,  from  Cleveland  to  Zanesville,  150 
miles  ;  one  wire  ;  Morse's  patent. 

Lake  Erie  Telegraph  Company,  from  Buffalo  to  Detroit,  via  Cleve- 
land, 400  miles ;  one  wire  ;  Morse's  instrument,  built  under  O'Reilly's 
contract  with  Morse,  with  branch  from  Cleveland  to  Pittsburg,  150 
miles ;  one  wire. 

Cincinnati  and  Sandusky  City  line,  about  200  miles ;  one  wire ; 
Morse's  patent. 

Toledo  to  Terre  Haute,  via  Fort  Wayne,  about  300  miles ;  one 
wire ;  Morse's  patent. 

Chicago  to  Dayton,  one  wire ;  Morse's  line. 

Chicago  to  St.  Louis,  via  Peoria,  about  400  miles ;  one  wire  ;  Morse's 
patent. 

Milwaukie  to  Green  Bay ;  200  miles ;  one  wire ;  Morse's  patent. 

Milwaukie  to  Galena,  via  Madison,  about  250  miles;  one  wire; 
Morse's  patent. 

Chicago  to  Manesville ;  one  wire  ;  Morse's  patent. 

Buffalo  and  Canada  Junction  Telegraph  Company,  from  Buffalo  to 
Lewiston ;  one  wire ;  connecting  with  a  wire  in  Canada  that  runs  to 
Toronto,  about  200  miles. 

There  are  three  companies,  if  not  four,  owning  the  line  from  Boston 
to  Halifax ;  from  Portland  to  Calais,  Maine,  one  company  using  the 
Morse  instrument ;  from  Calais  to  Halifax,  the  Morse  instrument  is 
used ;  the  line  in  each  province  is  owned  by  separate  companies,  organ- 
ized under  charters  from  their  respective  legislatures. 

The  first  American  telegraphic  line  was  established  in  May,  1844, 
between  Washington  and  Baltimore,  over  a  length  of  40  miles. 

The  line  from  Washington  to  Baltimore  was  then  extended  to  Phila- 
delphia and  New  York,  over  a  distance  of  250  miles.  It  reached 
Boston  in  1845,  and  became  the  great  line  of  the  North,  from  which 
branched  two  others :  one,  the  length  of  1,000  miles,  from  Philadelphia 
to  Harrisburg,  Lancaster,  Pittsburg,  Ohio,  Columbus,  Cincinnati,  Louis- 
ville (Kentucky),  and  St.  Louis  (Missouri) ;  the  other,  the  length  of 
1,300  miles,  from  New  York  to  Albany,  Troy,  Utica,  Rochester,  Buf- 
falo, Erie,  Cleveland  (Ohio),  Chicago  (Illinois),  and  Milwaukie  (Wis- 
consin). 

A  fourth  line  goes  from  Buffalo  to  Lockport,  Queenstown,  the 
Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  the  Cataract  of  Niagara,  Toronto,  Kingston, 
Montreal,  Quebec,  Halifax,  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  over  an  extent  of 
1,395  miles. 

Two  lines  south ;  one  from  Cleveland  to  New  Orleans,  by  Cincinnati  ; 
the  other  from  Washington  to  New  Orleans,  by  Fredericksburg, 
Charleston,  Savannah,  and  Mobile.  The  first  is  1,200  miles  long,  the 


152  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGKAPH. 

second  1,700  miles.  This  line  has  been  extended  west  to  Independ- 
ence, Missouri. 

The  entire  length  of  the  line  from  New  York  to  New  Orleans,  via 
Charleston,  Savannah,  and  Mobile,  is  1,966  miles;  and  this  distance 
was  not  worked  in  one  circuit,  nor  can  it  be  with  either  of  the  exist- 
ing systems  with  the  best  mode  of  insulating  in  use.  The  only  in- 
stance of  direct  communication  was  secured  by  dividing  the  line  into 
several  circuits,  probably  five  or  six,  and  connecting  those  circuits 
through  the  agency  of  an  instrument  termed  a  connector,  the  effect  of 
which  is  to  cause  one  circuit  to  work  the  other  through  the  entire 
series,  thus  producing  a  result  similar  to  working  through  the  entire 
line  in  one  circuit.  The  connector  is  an  instrument  first  invented  and 
applied  by  E.  Cornell,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  on  the  New  York,  Albany, 
and  Buffalo  line,  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  to  work  a  branch  line  from  Au- 
burn to  Ithaca,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  news  reports  at  Ithaca ;  at 
the  same  time  they  were  being  transmitted  from  New  York  to  Buffalo 
on  the  main  line ;  this  was  adopted  in  the  year  1846 ;  it  was  found  to 
work  admirably,  and  he  afterwards  modified  it  so  as  to  make  it  appli- 
cable to  working  both  ways  in  a  main  line,  or,  in  other  words,  to  make 
it  capable  of  working  a  number  of  series  of  circuits  in  a  main  line ; 
the  instrument  was  adopted  for  this  purpose  on  the  New  York  and 
Erie,  and  Erie  and  Michigan  lines,  in  the  year  1848,  and  has  been  in 
constant  use  ever  since ;  by  it  they  having  frequently  worked  direct 
from  New  York  to  Milwaukie,  1,300  miles.  The  instrument  used  on 
the  New  Orleans  line,  which  is  described  in  my  Lectures  on  the  Tele- 
graph, was  adopted  by  Mr.  Chas.  Bulkley,  the  then  superintendent  of 
the  line,  who  claims  it  as  his  invention,  made  in  1850  or  1851. 

The  greatest  distance  that  Mr.  Cornell  has  known  any  lines  to  work 
in  one  circuit,  was  from  Boston  to  Montreal,  via  New  York,  Buffalo, 
and  Toronto,  a  distance  of  about  1,500  miles ;  this,  however,  was  done 
when  the  earth  was  frozen,  and  the  lines  thus  insulated  by  the  frost 
much  better  than  man  has  yet  contrived  to  insulate  them  without  its 
aid.  There  are  no  lines  working  successfully  in  one  circuit  more 
than  550  miles ;  lines  may  be  so  insulated  as  to  work  in  one  circuit 
under  favorable  states  of  the  atmosphere  from  800  to  1,000  miles. 

The  House  Printing  Telegraph  has  only  been  in  operation  since 
1846,  but  even  in  that  short  time  has  spread  itself  from  New  York  to 
St.  Louis,  New  York  to  Boston,  and  New  York  to  Philadelphia,  to 
Washington,  working  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  our  business  com- 
munity, and,  wherever  found,  exciting  the  admiration  of  the  curious, 
being  able  to  print  in  Roman  capitals  communications  in  almost  every 
language. 

This  line  consists  of  the  Boston  and  New  York  Telegraph  Company, 
using  the  House  Printing  Telegraph ;  about  600  miles  of  wire,  two 
wires ;  with  stations  at  Boston,  Mass. ;  Providence,  E.  I. ;  Springfield, 
Mass.;  Hartford,  Conn.;  New  Haven,  and  New  York. 

A  line  is  being  constructed  to  connect  with  this  Boston  line,  run- 
ning from  Spring-field,  Mass.,  to  Albany,  N.  Y. ;  there  to  intersect  the 
New  York  and  Buffalo  line,  using  the  same  instruments,  extending 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


153 


from  New  York  to  Buffalo,  a  distance  of  570  miles.  One  wire  is  now 
in  operation,  connecting  with  Poughkeepsie,  Troy,  Albany,  Utica, 
Syracuse,  Lyons,  Kochester,  Albion,  Lockport,  and  Buffalo ;  and  ano- 
ther wire,  nearly  completed  the  same  distance.  This  line  is  to  con- 
tinue to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  connecting  with  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Louis- 
ville, and  St.  Louis,  which  will  be  completed  the  entire  distance  in 
1852  ;  the  whole  length  being  1,500  miles. 

The  New  Jersey  Magnetic  Telegraph  Company,  using  the  House 
instruments,  and  the  first  line  of  this  kind  ever  put  in  operation,  ex- 
tends from  Philadelphia  to  New  York ;  two  wires,  132  miles.  A  line 
also  extends  south  to  Baltimore  and  Washington.  For  this  informa- 
tion, I  am  indebted  to  the  politeness  of  William  J.  Philips,  Esq., 
Telegraphic  Engineer  on  the  House  line  at  Philadelphia. 

Making  the  whole  number  of  miles  2,202 ;  rate,  25  cents  for  the 
first  ten  words  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York. 

The  Bain  line,  now  a  Morse  line,  Mr.  Henry  J.  Eodgers,  General 
Superintendent  from  New- York  to  Washington,  has  lately  constructed, 
at  an  expense  of  $10,000,  spars  810  feet  high,  at  the  Palisades  and 
Fort  Washington,  ten  miles  above  the  city  of  New  York,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  sustaining  their  wires  over  the  river,  instead  of  the  method 
formerly  employed,  by  passing  the  current  through  the  water,  by 
wires  laid  across  the  North  Kiver.  He  considers  this  method,  by 
means  of  suspension  on  spars,  as  being  more  permanent  and  durable. 
The  price  of  telegraphic  dispatches  by  this  line  is  the  same  as  the 
others.  They  have  offices  in  Boston,  Providence,  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia, Wilmington,  Baltimore,  and  Washington. 


List  of  the  Bain  Telegraph  Lines  in  the  United  States. 

Wires.  Miles. 

1.  New  York  to  Boston,  via  Providence,  250  miles  each         2  500 

2.  Boston  to  Portland            .             .             .             .                  1  100 

3.  Boston  through  New  Hampshire  to  Burlington,  Vermont 

thence  to  Ogdensburg,  New  York        .            .                 1  350 

4.  Troy  to  Saratoga                .....                  1  36 

5.  New  York  to  Buflalo  (513  miles  each)                .                 2  1,026 

Total                                  7  2,012 


List  of  the  Morse  Telegraph  Lines  in  the  United  States. 

Wires.          Miles. 

1.  Washington  to  New  Orleans,  by  way  of  Richmond,  Va.     1          1,716 

2.  Washington  to   NewYork,  by  way   of  Baltimore  and 

Philadelphia,  each  260  miles  ...  7         1,820 

3.  Harper's  Ferry  to  Winchester,  Va.  1  32 

4.  Baltimore,  by  way  of  Pittsburg  and  Wheeling,  to  Cum 

berland    ' 

5.  Baltimore  to  Harrisburg,  by  way  of  York,  Pa.  *  72 

6.  York  to  Lancaster,  by  way  of  Columbia,  Pa.     . 

7.  Philadelphia  to  Lewistown,  Del.  .  .  1  12 

8.  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburg,  by  way  of  Harrisburg  1  309 

9.  Philadelphia  to  Pottsville,  by  way  of  Reading  1 

Carried  up         . ,.,;.,  15         5,415 


154 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Brought  up  ...... 

10.  Reading  to  Harrisburg     . 

11.  New  York  to  Boston,  about  250  miles,  by  way  of  Provi- 

dence, Rhode  Island,  and  Springfield  Massachusetts 

12.  New  York  to  Buffalo,  by  way  of  Troy  and  Albany 

13.  Syracuse  to  Oswego,  N.  Y. 

14.  Boston  to  Portland,  by  way  of  Dover 

15.  Worcester  to  New  Bedford,  by  way  of  Providence 

16.  Worcester  to  New  London,  by  way  of  Norwich 

17.  Portland  to  Calais,  Me.     . 

18.  Calais  to  Halifax,  via  St.  Johns  . 

19.  Troy  to  Montreal,  Canada,  by  way  of  Rutland  and  Bur- 

lington ...... 

20.  Buffalo  to  Queenston,  Canada  by  way  of  Lockport 

21.  Buffalo  to  Milwaukie,  Wis.,  by  way  of  Cleveland,  Detroit, 

and  Chicago  ;  second  wire  from  Buffalo  to  Cleveland 

22.  Pittsburg  to  Cincinnati,  0.,  by  way  of  Columbus 

23.  Columbus  to  New  Orleans,  by  way  of  Tuscumbia  and 

Natchez  ...... 

24.  New  Orleans  to  Balize,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi 

25.  Cincinnati  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  by  way  of  Vincennes 

26.  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to  Maysville,  Ky.*  by  way  of  Ripley  . 

27.  St  Louis  to  Chicago,  by  way  of  Alton,  111. 

28.  Alton  to  Galena,  by  way  of  Quincy 

29.  St.  Louis  to  Independence,  Mo. 

30.  New  York  to  New  Orleans,  by  way  of  Charleston,  Sa- 

vannah, and  Mobile      .  .  .  .  . 

31.  New  York  to  Dunkirk,  via  Newburg,  Binghamton,  and 

Ithaca    ....... 

32.  New  York  and  Erie  railroad  Telegraph,  for  railroad  use 

33.  Cleveland  to  Cincinnati   . 

34.  Cincinnati  to  St.  Louis,  via  Indianapolis  , 

35.  Cleveland  to  Pittsburg     .  .  .          •••*. 

36.  Cleveland  to  Zanesville     . 

37.  Buffalo  to  Detroit,  via  Cleveland  .  * 

38.  Cincinnati  to  Sandusky  City        . 

39.  Toledo  to  Terre  Haute,  via  Fort  Wayne 

40.  Newark  to  Zanesville,  Ohio         . 

41.  Mansfield  to  Sandusky      ...... 

42.  Columbus  to  Portsmouth,  Ohio    . 

43.  Columbus  to  Lancaster,  Ohio       . 

44.  Lancaster  to  Logansport  . 

45.  Cincinnati  to  Dayton  and  Chicago  (wire  in  Ohio)  • 

46.  Milwaukie  to  Green  Bay  .  .  , 

47.  Milwaukie  to  Galena,  via  Madison       ,_.-^-      . .  .,         :,4 

48.  Chicago  and  Janesville     . 

49.  Zanesville  to  Marietta      . 

50.  New  York  to  Sandy  Hook  »  . 

51.  Carnden  to  Cape  May       . 

52.  Camden  to  Absecom  Beach,  being  constructed 

53.  Philadelphia  to  Mount  Holly    " 

54.  Harrisburg  to  Sunbury  "  " 

55.  Cleveland  and  New  Orleans  by  Cincinnati 

56.  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.,  and  Pittsburg     . 


Whole  number  of  Morse  line  received;  67  wires,  length 
Whole  number  of  House  line  received  ;    8  wires,     " 
Whole  number  of  Bain  line  received  ;       6  wires,     " 

Total  number  of  wires  81 

Total  number  of  miles  in  the  United  States 


Wires. 

15 
1 

3 
3 

1 
2 

1 

1 
1 
1 

1 
1 

2 
1 

1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 


1 

1 
2 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 

1 
1 
1 
1 

67 


Miles. 

5,415 
51 

750 

1,539 

40 

200 
97 
74 

350 

400 

278 
48 

1600 
620 

638 
90 

410 
60 

330 

380 
25 

1,966 

440 

460 

500 

400 

300 

150 

400 

218 

300 

40 

40 

90 

25 

15 

100 

200 

250 

100 

66 

80 

100 

25 

26 

1200 

200 

19,963 

19,963 
2,400 
2,012 


24,375 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


155 


There  is  an  "  Erie  and  Alleghany  Telegraph  Company,"  having  a 
line  from  Dunkirk,  N.  York,  via  Warren,  Pa.,  thence  to  New  Castle, 
Pa.,  and  thence  to  Pittsburg. 

Consolidation  of  Telegraphs. — We  learn  from  the  Cincinnati  papers, 
that  all  the  leading  Telegraph  lines  in  the  West,  and  South,  and  North- 
west have  been  united  in  business  interests.  The  N.  Orleans  and  Ohio 
line,  extending  from  N.  Orleans  to  Pittsburg ;  the  People's  Line  from 
N.  Orleans  to  Louisville ;  the  two  wires,  Louisville,  Cincinnati,  and 
Pittsburg  line,  and  the  Western  line  from  Wheeling  and  Pittsburg  to 
Baltimore  and  Washington  City  are  all  direct  parties  to  the  contract — 
securing  these  arrangements. 

The  union  brings  the  Morse  and  O'Keilly  offices  in  Cincinnati  and 
all  other  cities  on  the  lines  named  together.  In  Cincinnati  the  Morse 
lines  are  removed  to  the  O'Keilly  office,  which  will  hereafter  be  known 
as  the  National  Telegraph  Office.  A  union  has  been  effected  between 
the  Morse  and  Bain  lines  between  New  York  and  Boston.  Also  the 
New  York  and  Erie  Telegraph  Line,  built  by  E.  Cornell  and  Speed, 
has  been  united  by  a  lease  to  the  Morse  or  Faxton  Company. 

August  24,  1853. — A  new  line  of  telegraph  from  Indianapolis  to 
Cleveland  is  to  be  built,  to  be  finished  within  ninety  days. 

"  From  an  Annual  Eeport  of  the  '  Magnetic  Telegraph  Company,' 
extending  from  Washington  to  New  York,  just  published,  we  glean 
the  following  table  of  the  number  of  messages  sent  and  the  amount  of 
money  received  for  tolls  for  each  month  of  the  year.  The  business,  it 
will  be  seen,  is  steadily  on  the  increase. 


July, 

August, 

September, 

October, 

November, 

December, 

January, 

February, 

March, 

April, 

May, 

June, 


Messages. 

1851, 

V,   ,.    .  13,463 

a 

'  .;-  '  .   .  16,580 

u 

..   -..    .  16,744 

a 

..  ;  ".    .  18,641 

a 

>t,  .  •••;;,-   .  15,969 

u 

.  17,896 

1852*, 

.  23,962 

u 

.  27,880 

a 

.  27,934 

u 

.  25,523 

a 

.  24,933 

a 

.  25,298 

Receipts. 

$4,991.62 

5,391.96 

4,979.35 

6,322.98 

5,798.50 

7,249.73 

11,352.97 

11,341.75 

11,918.63 

11,114.01 

10,949.75 

11,832.03 


253,857        $103,232.37 


"The  first  six  months  was  before  the  consolidation  with  the  Bain 
line ;  the  last  six  was  after  the  consolidation,  and  includes  the  receipts 
of  both  lines.  The  business  of  the  several  months  fluctuates  a  little, 
though,  by  comparing  the  first  six  months  with  the  last  six,  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  use  of  the  line  is  increasing  wonderfully.  The 
number  of  messages  sent  in  the  first  six  months,  is  99,313,  producing 
$34,733.14 ;  and  in  the  last  six  the  number  was  154,514,  producing 
$68,499.23.  It  is  proper  to  state,  however,  that,  in  January  last,  the 


156  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

1  Magnetic  Telegraph  Company'  became  possessed  of  the  wires  of  the 
Bain  line,  extending  from  Washington  to  New  York,  by  which  the 
company's  facilities  were  increased,  and  its  business  augmented  be- 
yond what  it  probably  would  have  been  without  such  facilities.  The 
increase  of  December  over  July,  and  of  June  over  January,  and  the 
very  large  business  of  October  and  March,  the  most  active  business 
months  in  the  year,  show  the  general  and  growing  use  of  this  won- 
derful invention  by  the  public  generally,  as  well  as  by  that  enter- 
prising class  of  persons,  the  merchants,  brokers,  and  bankers.  The 
following  table  exhibits  the  annual  receipts  of  this  company,  which 
was  the  first  organized  in  the  country,  from  its  commencement  to  the 
present : — 

From  January  27,  1846,  to  July  1,  1846  .  .  .  $4,228  77 

"  July  1,  1846,  to  July  1,  1847  .  .  .  32,810  28 

"  July  1,  1847,  to  July  1,  1848  .  .  .  52,252  81 

"  July  1,  1848,  to  July  1,  1849  .  .  .  63,367  62 

"  July  1,  1849,  to  July  1,  1850  .  .  .  61,383  98 

"  July  1,  1850,  to  July  1,  1851  .  .  .  67,737  12 

"  July  1,  1851,  to  July  1,  1852  .  .  .  103,860  84 

Total  amount  received  up  to  July,  1852       .         $385,641  42 


DIVIDENDS. 

1846  and  1847 none 

1848 6  per  cent. 

1849          .         .         ....         .         .         .  9    "      " 

1850 2    "      " 

1851 2    "      " 

1852         .        .         .         .  .        .         .  9    "      " 

"  The  capital  of  the  company  is  $370,000.  It  has  six  wires  from 
Washington  to  Philadelphia,  and  seven  from  Philadelphia  to  New 
York.  It  has  offices  at  Washington,  Baltimore,  Havre  de  Grace,  Port 
Deposit,  Wilmington,  Philadelphia,  Trenton,  New  Hope,  Princeton, 
New  Brunswick,  Newark,  Jersey  City,  and  New  York,  and  employs 
in  its  service,  including  messengers,  outside  laborers  engaged  in  keep- 
ing the  line  in  order,  clerks,  operators,  etc.,  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  persons.  The  distance  from  Washington  to  New  York, 
by  the  line  of  the  wires,  is  about  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles ; 
requiring  between  nineteen  hundred  and  two  thousand  miles  of  wire. 
The  cost  for  chemicals  is  considerable,  and  the  amount  of  stationery 
quite  immense ;  the  single  item  of  envelops  for  the  year  reaching  in 
number  nearly  one  quarter  of  a  million.  This  is  the  pioneer  line  of 
magnetic  telegraph  in  the  world,  and  very  large  sums  have  been  ex- 
pended in  various  experiments,  the  object  all  the  time  being  to  make 
it  as  perfect  as  possible.  It  is  now,  perhaps,  all  things  considered,  for 
its  length,  the  best  appointed  and  most  reliable  in  the  country,  and 
probably  the  most  productive  in  the  world.  Within  the  last  two  or 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  157 

three  years,  it  has  undergone  thorough  renovation,  and  while  under 
its  present  management,  the  public  may  rest  assured  it  will  not  suffer 
deterioration." 

I  received  the  following  interesting  account  of  the  telegraph  in  Ohio, 
showing  the  rapid  progress  which  it  is  making  in  the  West,  for  which 
account  I  am  indebted  to  the  politeness  of  J.  H.  Wade,  Esq.,  of  the 
"  Wade  Telegraph  Office,"  Columbus,  Ohio. 

Miles. 

Cleveland  and  Cincinnati  Telegraph  Company,  with  two  lines  on  separate 
routes,  with  an  arm  from  Newark  to  Zanesville,  and  another  from 
Mansfield  to  Sandusky;  length  of  line 640 

Cincinnati  and  Sandusky  Telegraph  Company,  line  from  Cincinnati  to 

Sandusky  218 

Scioto  Valley  Telegraph  Company,  line  from  Columbus  to  Portsmouth     .  90 

Columbus  and  Lancaster  Telegraph  Company,  line  from  Columbus  to  Lan- 
caster, 25  miles,  and  an  arm  to  Logansport,  15  miles  ...  40 

Pittsburg,  Cincinnati  and  Louisville  Telegraph  Company,  from  Pittsburg 

to  Louisville,  two  wires  on  same  poles,  280  each  (in  Ohio)  .  .  560 

Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis  Telegraph  Company,  from  Cincinnati  to  St. 

Louis  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  50 

House  Printing  Telegraph  line,  from  Buffalo  to  Cincinnati        .         .         .  325 

Erie  and  Michigan  Telegraph  Company,  from  Buffalo  to  Milwaukie,  with 

two  wires  as  far  as  Cleveland;  length  of  wire  in  Ohio  .  .  .  260 

Lake  Erie  Telegraph  Company,  from  Buffalo  to  Detroit,  with  branch  to 

Pittsbm-g  ;  length  of  wire  in  Ohio 286 

Cleveland,  Wheeling,  and  Zanesville  Telegraph  Company         .         .        «          225 

Cleveland  and  Pittsburg  Telegraph  Company;  length  of  wire  in  Ohio     .  90 

New  Orleans  and  Ohio  Telegraph  Company,  from  Pittsburg  to  New 

Orleans ;  length  of  wire  in  Ohio 'I  '•  260 

Ohio,  Indiana  arid  Illinois  Telegraph  Company,  from  Cincinnati  to  Day- 
ton and  Chicago  ;  length  in  Ohio,  about  ......  100 

Line  from  Zanesville  to  Marietta       .        C  *   «       VC      *        *  66 

Total  length  of  wire  in  Ohio        .        .        3,210 

- — \ 

CANADA. 

.,  From  0.  S.  Wood,  Esq.,  Montreal  Telegraph  Company,  I  have  re- 
ceived the  list  of  the  lines  in  Canada. 

Miles. 

The  Montreal  Telegraph  Company's  Line  extends  from  Quebec  to  the 

Suspension  Bridge  at  Niagara  Falls ;  distance  .  .  .  155 

British  North  American  Electric  Telegraph  Association,  from  Quebec  to 

New  Brunswick  frontier  ;  distance         .....  220 

The  Montreal  and  Troy  Telegraph  Company,  from  Montreal  to  New  York 

State  line  at  Highgate ;  distance  .  ...  47 

The  Bytown  and  Montreal  Telegraph  Company,  from  Bytown  to  Mont- 
real; distance  ........  115 

The  Western  Telegraph  Company,  from  Hamilton  to  Port  Sarnia,  at  the 

foot  of  Lake  Huron ;  not  now  working ;  distance  '        .  >""     '   .  143 

Niagara  and  Chippewa  Line,  from  Niagara  to  Chippewa;  distance          • ....  ,        14 
All  the  above  lines  have  single  wires. 

In  course  of  construction,  a  line  from  Brantford  to  Simcoe  and  Dover; 

distance  ........  33 

Also,  a  line  from  Kingston  to  Hamilton,  via  Prince  Edwards  Co. ;  dis- 
tance .  .  .  .  .  , . ..  .  .  /.  256 

Total  length  in  Canada,     .  ',        .  .          983 


158  THE  ELECTKO-MAGXETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


ENGLAND. 

The  English  telegraphs  come  next  in  extent  to  those  of  the  United 
States ;  they  were  first  established  in  1845,  and  may  be  divided  into 
two  classes,  the  railway  and  the  commercial.  The  railway  telegraphs 
are  used  for  the  purpose  of  sending  communications  relative  to  railway 
matters,  while  the  commercial  are  employed  for  the  transmission  of 
public  and  private  messages  at  fixed  rates  of  charges.  They  are  mostly 
built  on  the  railroads,  and  in  some  instances  a  railroad  company  will 
construct  a  line,  and  give  the  use  of  it  to  a  company,  and  as  an  equiva- 
lent, the  telegraph  lends  its  aid  to  expedite  the  business  of  the  railroad. 
The  telegraph  company  between  London  and  Liverpool  receives  one 
thousand  pounds  a  year  for  doing  the  business  of  the  railroad  company, 
and  the  railroad  people  afford  them  all  the  facilities  for  repairing  the 
line,  even  so  far  as  sending  an  extra  engine,  without  charge,  when  there 
is  not  a  regular  train  going  out  soon;  and  every  man  employed  on  the 
railroad  is  under  instructions  to  report  immediately  to  the  nearest 
telegraph  office,  anything  he  may  find  to  be  out  of  order  on  the  line. 
In  fact,  a  line  of  telegraph  is  almost  considered  an  indispensable  part 
of  the  equipage  of  all  well  regulated  roads  in  England.  The  instru- 
ments principally  in  use  are  those  of  Messrs.  Cooke  and  Wheatstone, 
Jacob  Brett,  and  Brett  and  Little.  There  is  a  line  of  Bain's  Electro- 
chemical Telegraph  from  London  to  Manchester,  and  from  Manchester 
to  Liverpool.  Also,  a  line  of  Bain's  Electric  Telegraph,  connecting 
Edinburgh  and  Glasgow,  a  distance  of  46  miles.  The  whole  extent  of 
telegraphic  lines  is  estimated  at  2,225  miles.  The  principal  ones  are 
as  follows : — 


ENGLAND,  SCOTLAND,  AND  IKELAND. 

I  extract  from  the  Manual  of  Mr.  Walker,  telegraphic  engineer,  a 
list  of  the  Electric  Telegraphs  of  England,  for  1850.    '  • 

NAME  OP  RAILWAY.  No.  of  Miles.    No.  of  Wires. 

EDINBURGH  AND  GLASGOW      .....        47£  5 

Tunnel  Line  ......  1  2 

EDINBURGH  AND  NORTHERN. 

Dundee  Branch      ......        36  3 

Perth  Branch          ......  6  3 

Edinburgh  and  Granton    .....  3  3 

Leith  Line  ......          1^  3 

Tunnel  Line  ......          1  2 

NORTH  BRITISH          .  .  .  .  .58  5 

Dalkeith  Branch     .  .  .  .  .  !£  2 

Haddington  Branch  .....  5  2 

Tunnel  Line  ......  If  2 

YORK,  NEWCASTLE,  AND  BERWICK. 

Newcastle  to  Berwick        .....         65J  5 

York  to  Darlington  .....        45  7 

Darlington  to  Newcastle    .....        38J  8 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  159 

NAME  OF  RAILWAY.  '  No.  of  Miles.    No.  of  Wires. 

Shields  Branch       .             .             .             .           ; .  .         .  11  3 

Sunderland  Branch             .....  2J  3 

Durham  Branch      .             .             .         * .          <•' '";"           .  2£  2 

Richmond  Branch  .             .             .         °   «                         .  9  2 

Fatfield  and  South  Shields  .  ...  .19  1 

Stockton  Branch    .             .                                   ,  •  t            .  *  1 

YORK  AND  NORTH  MIDLAND. 

Normanton  to  York            .           '.         ''."*•            .  24* 

York  to  Scarborough          .          -' .         -•  .         <•.„            .  42*  3 

Harrowgate  Branch            .          "  .          "«".    r        .  18  3 

Hull  and  Selby       .            .          '.         "  .' *'    ;-.:'         .  36  5 

Hull  and  Bridlington         .         '•  • .         ••  .          •.             .  33  3 

Normanton  to  Milford  Junction    .         ".         ;-%  "*        .  10  2 

Manchester  and  Leeds       .          '•'"'••'        .             .  51  7 

Preston  and  Wyre          "    .          '.          ',            .             .  20  3 

Liverpool  and  Southport    .          '  ...            .            .  13£  3 

EAST  LANCASHIRE       .            .  .         ..           ..           .            .  12*  3 

MIDLAND  RAILWAY. 

Birmingham  and  Gloucester      "  ;.         •«          '.            .  53  7 

Birmingham  and  Derby     .             .          •  .            ?  '•         .  6£  71 

"'.:".          '  .  '      -  ;— •        .34|  5  f 

Derby  and  Lincoln             .    .      •  .        ^  .        ^  .            .  48f  3 

Derby  and  Rugby  .          -.          -.          -.         •  •  .*  :        .24*  7) 

24f  5J 

Leicester  and  Peterborough          .            .            .  4|  3 

23  5 

/.n-        .  25^  7 

Derby  and  Leeds    .          '.         '.          *.         v  .  .,         .  73  7 

Sheffield  Branch     .          *;            .                          .             .  5  3 

Leeds  and  Bradford         *.         '.          -.  .  .11  6 

•*            .  2f  3 

Tunnel  Line          '  .        -  v:'         .  l| 

Skipton  Branch      .            .            .          ••.          •  .            .  15£  3 

LONDON  AND  NORTH- WESTERN. 

London  to  Birmingham     ..... 

a  a 

"                    "                Tunnel  Line.  1  3 

Camd.  Incl.      .        f  JT     '"   .  "  li  6 

West  London  Junction      .            .            .,           .            .  |  2 

Birmingham  and  Manchester     '  .  .         *  .  .80  7) 

-.'.-'.            .  5  8j 

Ardwick  Junction  .            .            .    s     '  ,.        '.,,          .  3^- 

Manchester  and  Liverpool              ....  31*  6 

"                        "          Tunnel  Line    ...  1*  2 

SOUTH  DEVON             .         *  .            .            .         '  * "1        .  53 

Torquay  Branch     .          '  »         v  .             .         *  ;  i>:        .  4  3 

NEWMARKET  RAILWAY         •  ,'        *  .            ...  17  5 

EASTERN  UNION          .            .            .            .            «            .  16f  5 

Tunnel  Line          .  .        '  *  .  2 

LONDON  AND  SOUTH-WESTERN. 

London  to  Southampton     .....  74  4 

6  6 

Portsmouth  Branch                                                 .            i  21  4 


160 


THE  ELECTKO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


NAME  OP  RAILWAY. 
Gosport  Branch 
Southampton  and  Dorchester 
Poole  Branch 

EASTERN  COUNTIES. 
London  to  Brandon 
London  to  Stratford 
Brick-lane  Line 
Enfield  Branch       . 
Hertford  Branch    . 
Cambridge  and  St.  Ives     . 
Ely  and  Peterborough 
March  and  Wisbeach 
London  and  Colchester 
Forest-gate  and  Stratford 
Maldon  and  Braintree 
Stratford  and  Thames  Junction 
North  Woolwich     . 

NORFOLK  RAILWAY. 

Brandon  to  Norwich 

*(  « 

Norwich  and  Yarmouth     . 
Lowestoft  Branch  . 
Dereham  Branch     . 
Dereham  and  Fakenham    . 

NORTH  STAFFORDSHIRE. 
Stoke  to  Norton  Bridge 
Colwich  Branch 
Stoke  to  Burton 

"  "        Goods  Depot 

Stoke  to  Crewe 
Harecastle  Tunnel  Line     . 
Macclesfield  Branch 
Churnet  Valley 

SOUTH  STAFFORDSHIRE 


NORTHAMPTON  AND  PETERBOROUGH     . 
"  Extension  to  Wolverton 

London  and  Croydon 
Great  Western 
London  Street  Lines 
Manchester  and  Sheffield   . 

"  Woodhead  Tunnel  Line 

Ambergate,  Matlock,  and  Buxton 
London  and  Blackwell 
Caldon-Low  Quarry  Line  . 
Moira  Colliery 
Mary  port  and  Whitehaven 
Butterley  Iron  Company's  Line    . 

SOUTH-EASTERN. 

London  to  Dover    .  .  . 

London  to  Rochester          .  « 

London  to  Bricklayers'  Arms        . 
Tunbridge  to  Tunbridge  Wells 


No.  of  Miles. 

5 
61 

2 


88 
3] 

3i 

7 

30* 

9 

511 

u 

12 
2| 

2| 


37| 

10i 

20 

12 

12 


10| 

| 
1 
27 

91 

2 

47 


8 
19 


1H 
3* 
31 

2l 


88 

31 

4 

5 


No.  of  Wires. 

4 
3 
3 


3 
2 

3 
2 

3 

2 
3 

2 

2 
3 

3 
4 

3 

4 

various 
3 
3 

2 

1 
2 
4 
1 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  161 


NAME  OF  RAILWAY.  No.  of  Miles.    No.  of  Wires. 

Tunbridge  to  Hastings  Road  1  2 

Tunbridge  to  Laboratory  . 
Paddock  Wood  to  Maidstone 


Ashfonl  to  Uamsgate 
Minster  to  Deal 
Kamsgate  to  Margate 


1 

10  3 

30  3 

9  3 

4  3 


Total       .......   2,225f 

Their  mode  of  construction  in  England  is  very  expensive,  amount- 
ing in  some  cases  to  $600  per  mile.  Posts  of  fir  are  ranged  at  conve- 
nient distances  along  the  side  of  the  principal  railways ;  each  post  is 
furnished  with  an  insulator  of  earthenware,  and  also  capped  with  a 
wooden  roof  having  dripping  eaves  to  throw  the  water  from  the  wires. 
The  latter  are  made  of  galvanized  iron,  two  of  which  are  needed  on  a 
line  working  with  Cooke  and  Wheatstone's  instruments. 

TelegrapJis  in  Great  Britain. 

In  England,  the  patents  of  Messrs.  Cooke  and  Wheatstone  were 
bought  by  the  Electric  Telegraph  Company,  in  1846.  In  the  same 
year  this  company  obtained  their  act  of  incorporation.  They  being 
the  first  company  in  the  kingdom,  have  supplied  most  of  the  leading 
lines  with  telegraphs  upon  the  principles  of  their  patents.  This  com- 
pany paid  about  $840,000  for  their  patents.  The  kind  of  instrument 
now  generally  used  by  them  is  the  double  needle  telegraph,  a  drawing 
of  which  has  been  given. 

The  average  number  of  words  sent  by  this  form  of  instrument  in 
eleven  dispatches  for  the  Times  newspaper,  was  nearly  17  words  per 
minute,  which  would  be  considered  very  slow  work  in  this  country, 
as  the  Morse  instrument  will  transmit  at  the  rate  of  30  to  35  words  in 
the  same  space  of  time ;  and  the  House  instrument,  which  is  stated  to 
be  slow  in  its  operation,  by  Mr.  Highton,  which  is  a  mistake,  as  its 
ordinary  speed  by  the  improved  instrument  is  at  the  rate  of  30  to  35 
words,  when  written  in  full ;  and  business  messages  are  sent  at  the 
rate  of  from  200  to  250  letters  per  minute ;  365  letters  have  been 
printed  in  one  minute  from  New  York  to  Utica. 

According  to  the  published  returns  of  the  old  Electric  Telegraph 
Company  in  1850,  which  I  have  given,  there  are  only  2,215  miles  of 
telegraph  lines  in  operation.  Since  that  period,  however,  considerable 
progress,  it  is  stated,  has  taken  place  in  the  construction  of  electric 
telegraphs,  but  up  to  the  present  time,  1853,  the  number  has  not  been 
published,  even  in  the  works  on  the  Telegraph  issued  in  England  in 
1852.  When  this  telegraph  company  in  England  first  opened  their 
line,  the  charges  for  twenty  words  were  calculated  at  the  rate  of  Id. 
per  mile  for  the  first  50  miles,  %d.  per  mile  for  the  next  50  miles,  and 
%d.  per  mile  beyond  the  first  100  miles. 

On  the  llth  of  March,  1850,  the  charges  were  reduced,  10s.  being 
made  the  maximum  charge  for  any  distance. 

On  the  20th  of  March,  1851,  a  farther  reduction  was  made,  and  no 
message  of  twenty  words  was  to  exceed  85.  6d. 

On  the  17th  of  November,  1851,  the  tariff  was  still  farther  reduced, 
11 


162  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

the  charge  being  2s.  6d  for  twenty  words,  if  transmitted  100  miles  or 
less,  and  5s.  if  more  than  100  miles. 

Early  in  1852,  a  farther  reduction  was  made,  the  charge  for  a  mes- 
sage between  Manchester  and  Liverpool  being  for  twenty  words  Is. 
instead  of  2s.  6d. 

The  charges  on  the  South-E astern  Eailroad  Telegraph,  for  a  message 
between  any  two  stations  on  this  line,  is  5s.  for  twenty  words. 

IRELAND. 

An  Irish  submarine  line  telegraph,  between  Fort  Patrick  and  Dona- 
ghadee,  was  to  be  opened  on  the  10th  of  June. 

A  line  of  telegraph  has  been  opened  between  Dublin  and  Galway, 
and  was  in  operation  in  June,  1852. 

PRUSSIA. 

The  Prussian  telegraph  system  is  characterized  as  simple,  sub- 
stantial, effective,  and  economical.  A  royal  commission  was  ap- 
pointed in  1844,  to  ascertain  the  best  method  of  constructing  lines ; 
they,  after  experiment,  determined  on  that  of  copper  wire  inclosed  in 
gutta  percha,  and  buried  two  feet  beneath  the  surface ;  they  are  gene- 
rally made  to  follow  the  track  of  railways,  and  in  passing  over  bridges 
or  aqueducts,  are  inclosed  in  iron  piping,  or  when  through  rivers,  in 
chain  pipes.  They  use  but  one  wire,  which  terminates  in  an  earth 
battery,  consisting  of  a  zinc  plate  6  feet  long,  2J  feet  wide,  and  Jth  of 
an  inch  in  thickness.  The  instruments  used  are  those  of  Morse,  Sie- 
mens, Halske,  and  Kramer,  together  with  Daniell's  battery.  In  the 
principal  offices,  a  printing  and  a  colloquial  instrument  ar6  employed, 
but  each  in  turn  is  worked  by  the  one  wire  only,  notice  being  given 
that  one  or  the  other  is  to  be  used,  according  to  circumstances.  Morse's 
is  the  printing  telegraph  used,  and  differs  but  very  little  from  that 
used  in  the  United  States.  Those  of  Siemens  and  Kramer  are  both 
colloquial  telegraphs,  but  Siemens's  is  chiefly  used.  The  whole  cost, 
as  determined  from  detailed  estimates,  is  less  than  $200  per  English 
mile.  Besides  the  government  lines  of  telegraph,  most  of  the  railway 
companies  in  Prussia  have  also  their  own  telegraphs,  which  are  con- 
structed according  to  the  system  in  this  country  by  one  wire  suspended 
on  poles  along  the  railways.  All  telegraphs  now  under  construction, 
have  the  gutta  percha  covered  wire,  incased  in  leaden  tube.  The 
average  cost  of  this  form  of  telegraph  is  about  $100  per  mile ;  their 
whole  length  is  estimated  at  1,493  miles,  having  their  central  point  at 
Berlin,  from  whence  they  radiate  as  follows : — 

Instruments  used.  Stations  and  points  passed  through.  Distance 

in  miles. 

Siemens  and  Halske's  Patent,  From  Berlin  to  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  esta- 
blished in  February,  1849  ....     350 

Kramer's  Bell  Telegraph,  From  Berlin  through  Cologne  to  Achen,  esta- 

blished in  June,  1849  .    '    .         .         .         .362 
Stations  are  Potsdam,  Magdeburgh,  Ochser- 
tleben,  Brunswick,  Hanover,  Minder,  Ha- 
urm,  Dusseldorf,  Deutz,  Cologne. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  163 

Instruments  used.  Stations  and  points  passed  through.  Distance 

in  miles. 

Siemens  and  Ilalske's  Patent,  From  Dusseldorf  to  Elberfeld        ...       16 
Morse's  Apparatus,  From  Berlin  through  Minder  to  Rolu      .         .       81 


Siemens  arid  Ilalske's, 


Siemens's  Telegraph, 


to  Hamburg        ....  142 

Stettin 62 

"       through  to  Oderburgh  to  Breslau  280 

Halle  to  Leipzic 17 

Leipzic  to  Berlin    .....  115 

Leipzic  to  Frankfort-on-the-Main  .         .  204 
Berlin  to  Gross  Bercen 


A  contemplated  one  from  Berlin  to  Ko- 

nigsberg  to  Dantzic 
Morse  Instrument,  From  Hamburgh  to  Cuxhaven         ...      80 

The  Prussian  method  of  burying  the  wires  beneath  the  surface  pro- 
tects them  from  destruction  by  malice,  and  makes  them  less  liable  to 
injury  by  lightning. 

AUSTEIA. 

The  Austrian  telegraphs  diverge  from  Vienna  in  the  following 
manner : — 

1,  From  Vienna  through  Olmutz  to  Prague,  237  miles. 

2,  "  "  "      Bumn  "         211  " 

3,  "  "  toPresburg,  35  " 

4,  "  "  through  Prevau  to  Oberburg,  140  " 

5,  "  "  "    Bruck,  Cilli,  Lay- 

bach  to  Trinte,  284       " 

6,  "  "  "    Lintz  to  Salzburg,    156       " 

7,  "       Prague  to  the  boundary  of  Saxony,  to  connect  with 
the  line  from  Dresden,  is  nearly  complete  as  far  as  the  boundary  of 
Bohemia,  on  which  Storer's  apparatus  will  be  used ;  on  the  other,  a  modi- 
fication of  Morse's  by  Eobinson,  printing  about  600  words  per  hour ; 
also,  a  modification  of  Bain's  needle  telegraph,  by  Ekling,  of  Vienna, 
containing  an  arrangement  of  45  needles,  averaging  about  190  words 
of  six  letters  each  per  hour.     The  Austrians  have  adopted  this  system 
of  correspondence,  mostly  since  1847  ;  their  network  of  telegraphs  ex- 
tends over  a  space  of  more  than  1,053  miles,  having  106  stations,  which 
will  be  increased  to  200  stations,  if  the  present  projected  lines  are  con- 
structed.    The  line  from  Lintz  to  Salzburg  has  a  connection  with  the 
Bavarian  one  from  Munich  to  the  latter  place,  and   makes  use  of 
Stochriss's  instrument.     A  line  between  Venice  and  Milan,  with  its 
branches,  is  already  commenced. 


164 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


SAXONY  AND  BAYAEIA. 

Saxony  and  Bavaria  have  government  lines  which  connect  with  the 
Prussian  and  Austrian  lines,  and  establish  a  communication  with  Berlin, 
Dresden,  Munich,  and  Vienna.  Nearly  all  the  railroad  companies  have 
private  lines  for  their  own  use,  and  preparations  are  now  making  which, 
in  no  distant  future,  will  include  every  town  of  importance  throughout 
Germany  in  this  network  of  communication. 

Those  of  Saxony  extend  over  265  miles,  the  principal  of  which  are 
annexed :  From  Leipzig  to  Hoff,  94  miles ;  from  Leipzig  to  Dresden, 
62  miles;  Dresden  to  Konigstien,  15  miles;  Dresden  to  the  boundary 
of  Bohemia ;  Dresden  to  Hoff,  94  miles.  Stochriss's  needle  instrument 
is  principally  used  in  this  country  ^likewise,  in  Bavaria,  his  bell  appa- 
ratus. The  extent  of  lines  in  the  latter  country  is  about  455  miles. 
From  Munich  to  Salzburg,  74  miles,  connecting  with  the  Austrian 
lines  of  Ling  and  Vienna ;  from  Munich  through  Augsburg  to  Hoff, 
226  miles,  connecting  with  the  line  to  Dresden  in  Saxony ;  from  Munich 
to  Augsburg,  81  miles ;  one  under  construction  from  Augsburg, 
through  Nuremburgh  and  Bamburgh,  to  Hoff;  from  Bamburgh  to 
"Wurzburg,  Aschappenburg,  and  Frankfort,  125  miles  under  con- 
struction. 


TUSCANY.  ,;; 

The  lines  in  Tuscany  number  120  Italian  miles,  commenced  in 
1847,  under  the  direction  of  Matteucci ;  they  also  follow  the  railroad. 
From  Florence  to  Leghorn ;  from  Empoli  to  Sienne ;  from  Pisa  to 
Lucca,  and  from  Florence  to  Patro ;  which  makes  in  all,  120  Italian 
miles,  or  nearly  60  leagues.  The  total  length  of  the  wires  is  121 
leagues,  weighing  70,000  pounds ;  2,488  posts. 

The  expense  of  placing  the  wire,  which  cost  at  first  400  pounds  per 
mile,  is  reduced  to  30  or  40  francs  at  present,  that  the  wires  are  placed 
by  the  guardians  of  the  telegraph.  The  telegraphic  apparatus  is  fur- 
nished in  part  by  M.  Brequet,  and  part  by  the  constructor  of  the  Uni- 
versity, M.  Pierncci ;  a  complete  apparatus  costs  600  livres. 

The  following  is  a  table  of  necessary  expense  for  the  establishment 
of  the  Tuscan  lines : — 

Livres.  Sous. 

Iron  wire  23,348  8 

Posts  of  fir  tree  21,426  13     4 

Tenders      .                     /  3,3-17 

Porcelain  shield              "               ^  2,627  13 

Wooden  box                                                 "  1,772  13     4 

Furniture,  and  supplies  of  the  office  8,183  18     8 

Laying  of  copper  wire,  varnish  5,314  13     4 

Machines  and  piles             .  26,043  17 
Timber,    cost   of    posts,    administration 

studies,  and  superintendence  of  work  3,443  3     4 

Total  94,507         10 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  165 


GERMANY. 

The  telegraph  lines  of  Germany  have  chiefly  been  established  within 
the  last  three  years.  Gauss  and  Weber  at  Gottingen,  and  Steinhiel  at 
Munich,  had  short  lines  of  telegraph  in  1834  and  1837 ;  but  the  rail- 
road companies  were  the  first  to  make  a  proper  appreciation  of  them, 
and  establish  lines  for  their  own  benefit.  The  first  great  line  along 
the  railway  from  Mentz  to  Frankfort,  was  erected  by  Fardly,  a  mecha- 
nician of  Manheim,  with  Wheatstone's  index  apparatus.  It  was  this 
line  that  aroused  the  attention  of  the  Prussian  Government,  and  caused 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  experiment  on  the  matter. 

No.  781  of  the  London  Mining  Journal  for  1850,  states  that  2,000 
miles  of  telegraph  are  already  open  in  Germany,  and  that  1,000  more 
will  be  added  in  1851 ;  it  works  now  from  Cracow  to  Trieste,  a  dis- 
tance of  700  miles,  and  a  general  union  of  the  Austrian,  Prussian, 
Saxon,  and  Bavarian  lines  was  soon  expected,  with  a  tariff  of  charges 
nearly  as  low  as  that  of  the  United  States. 

FRANCE. 

The  French  are  inferior  in  telegraphic  enterprise  to  most  of  the 
other  European  countries.  In  that  country  the  telegraph  is  under  the 
control  of  government  officers,  and  all  the  government  business  is 
done  by  signals,  understood  by  those  only  who  are  in  the  pay  of  the 
government ;  the  tariff  is  too  high,  and  but  little  use  is  made  of  it,  as 
the  existing  government  does  not  wish  it  brought  into  general  use; 
this  is  much  unlike  the  republicanism  of  the  United  States.  The  prin- 
cipal instruments  in  use  are  those  of  Brequet  and  Foy,  which  print 
from  10  to  12  signs  per  minute ;  this  is  used  along  the  railroad  from 
Paris  to  Rouen.  Wheatstone's  needle  telegraph,  and  also  the  instru- 
ments of  Dujardin  and  Gardiner,  are  made  use  of.  That  of  Brett  is 
employed  on  the  connecting  line  of  England  and  France,  between 
Dover  and  Calais,  and  Bain's  Chemical  Telegraph  has  more  lately 
been  introduced.  The  lines  mostly  originate  in  Paris,  from  which  they 
stretch  northward  to  Amiens,  Arras,  Valenciennes,  Dowae,  Lille,  Dun- 
kirk, Calais,  and  Boulogne.  South,  they  extend  to  Orleans,  Louis, 
Chevres,  Angiers,  Blois,  Bourges,  and  Chateauroux ;  east,  to  Chalons, 
on  the  Marne ;  west,  to  Versailles,  Rouen,  Havre,  and  Dieppe :  the 
whole  extent  being  from  400  to  600  miles.  Another  line  is  about  to 
be,  or  is  opened  from  Paris  to  Lyons.  In  last  April,  the  government 
published  the  establishment  of  several  offices  on  each  line  which  could 
be  used  for  private  correspondence ;  there  were  six  of  these  points  on 
the  northern  line,  the  same  number  on  the  southern,  two  on  the  west- 
ern, and  one  on  the  eastern.  The  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose, 
recommended  a  general  distribution  of  them  on  all  the  lines.  The 
government  have  adopted  the  following  tariff  of  charges,  for  a  dispatch 
of  twenty  words,  including  the  names  of  the  sender : — 


166  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

From  Paris  to  Arras,  ^  4  f.  80  c.  From  Paris  to  Angers,          5  f.  88  c. 


Valenciennes,  5  64 

Lille,  6  36 

Calais,  6  36 

Dunkirk,  7  56 

Orleans,  7  32 

Tours,  4  56 


Bourges,        7  60 

Nevers,           5  88 

Chateauroux,6  72 

Chalons,         6  24 

Rouen,           5  70 

Havre,            5  76 


To  estimate  the  expense  between  eacli  of  these  places,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  find  the  difference  of  that  between  them  and  Paris  respect- 
ively. For  dispatches  of  more  than  twenty  words,  a  fourth  is  to  be 
added  for  every  ten  words,  so  that  this  tariff  will  be  double  for  sixty 
words. 

I  have  translated  the  following  list  of  the  lines  of  France,  from  the 
"  Trait^  de  Telegraphic  Electrique"  by  Moigno,  second  edition,  1852. 

1st.  Line  of  the  North,  from  Paris  to  Valenciennes,  by  Amiens, 
Arras,  Dowae,  Lille,  with  a  "branch  to  Dunkirk,  Calais,  and" Boulogne, 
90  leagues. 

2d.  Line  of  the  South,  from  Paris  to  Chateauroux,  by  Orleans,  Blois, 
Tours,  Bourges,  with  a  continuation  to  Bordeaux  one  way,  and  another 
to  Nantes. 

8d.  The  line  of  the  East',  from  Paris  to  Chalons  sur  Marne,  prolonged 
to  Strasburg,  by  Vetoy,  Nancy,  &c. 

4th.  The  line  from  Paris  to  Havre,  by  Eouen  and  Dieppe. 

5th.  The  line  of  Montereau  to  Troyes. 

6th.  The  line  of  Metz  to  Nancy,  &c. 

The  entire  length  of  the  finished  lines  form  iJiree  hundred  leagues 
(about  750  English  miles),  and  according  to  Moigno,  they  have  com- 
mitted the  irreparable  fault  of  suppressing  the  old  telegraphs. 

HOLLAND. 

The  instrument  used  in  Holland  is  a  modification  of  Morse's  by  Mr. 
"Wm.  Robinson ;  this  gentleman  is  an  American  ;  he  has  obtained  the 
privilege  of  erecting  and  managing  lines  of  magnetic  telegraph,  in  the 
United  Kingdoms  of  Norway  and  Sweden  for  fifty  years.  A  company 
of  heavy  capitalists  of  this  city  and  Stockholm,  have  commenced  in 
the  work,  which  is  to  begin  immediately.  A  similar  privilege  is  ex- 
pected from  the  Government  of  Denmark.  Most  of  the  Belgian  and 
Holland  Railroad  Companies  have  constructed  telegraphs ;  there  is  one 
now  in  operation  from  Amsterdam  to  Rotterdam,  and  the  Holland 
Government  has  authorized  the  construction  of  one  from  Amsterdam 
to  the  Helder,  and  one  from  Rotterdam  to  Vleissingin. 

ITALY. 

Considerable  progress  has  been  made  in  the  construction  of  lines 
throughout  the  Italian  States.  By  virtue  of  an  ordinance  of  the 
Minister  of  Public  Works,  the  telegraphs  which  are  to  connect  Rome 
on  one  side  with  Civita  Yecchia  and  the  sea,  and  on  the  other  side 
with  the  Austrian  boundary '  at  Ferrara,  will  be  established  at  an 
early  day. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  167 


SPAIN. 

In  Spain,  the  line  from  Aranjuez  to  Madrid  is  complete,  and  others 
are  being  laid  down  to  Seville,  Cadiz,  Yalenten,  Barcelona,  and  the 
frontier  of  France.  Before  long  there  will  be  a  general  telegraphic 
communication  from  one  extremity  of  Europe  to  the  other,  and  when 
the  connection  between  Dover  and  Calais  shall  have  been  completed, 
the  people  of  London  will  be  able  to  communicate  with  those  of  nearly 
every  capital  on  the  continent,  extending  over  a  space  of  nearly  6,000 
miles. 

KUSSIA. 

A  Prussian  engineer  has  gone  to  St.  Petersburg,  in  order  to  establish 
electro-magnetic  telegraphs  throughout  the  whole  Eussian  monarchy. 

The  lines  of  telegraph  to  connect  Petersburg  with  Moscow,  and  with 
the  Eussian  ports  on  the  Black  Sea,  and  the  Baltic,  are  almost  com- 
plete ;  other  wires  stretch  from  the  capital  of  the  Czar  to  Vienna  and 
Berlin,  taking  Cracow,  Warsaw,  and  Posen  on  the  way.  Two  lines 
by  different  routes,  Olmutz  and  Brunn,  uniting  Vienna  with  Prague. 

MEXICO. 

A  contract  has  been  entered  into  by  the  Mexican  Government,  with 
"Wm.  George  Stewart,  Esq.,  the  Mexican  Consul  at  New  York,  and 
Senor  Juan  de  la  Grariga,  of  Mexico,  to  construct  a  line  from  Vera 
Cruz  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles ;  one 
hundred  and  twenty  of  which,  as  far  as  El  Oge  de  Argua,  was  to  have 
been  completed  on  the  1st  of  May,  1851.  Another  line  will  soon  be 
built  between  Acapulco  and  the  city  of  Mexico.  When  both  are 
completed,  there  will  be  a  magnetic  communication  between  the  At- 
lantic and  Pacific. 

A  letter  from  Mexico  informs  us  of  the  progress  of  the  magnetic 
telegraph  in  that  country.  It  appears  that  the  party  who  went  from 
the  U.  States  to  that  country  for  the  purpose  of  putting  up  a  line  of 
telegraph  from  the  city  of  Mexico  to  Vera  Cruz,  have  finished  it  from 
the  former  city  to  JSTapolucan,  a  distance  of  about  150  miles,  and  half 
way  to  Yera  Cruz.  The  other  half  will  be  finished  in  two  and  a  half 
months.  The  line  already  up  is  doing  a  very  fair  business  ;  the  re- 
ceipts averaging  $35  per  day,  and  the  expenses  about  $15.  These  re- 
ceipts will  be  largely  increased  when  the  line  is  finished  to  Yera  Cruz, 
as  the  largest  portion  of  the  business  transactions  of  the  country  is 
between  that  city  and  the  city  of  Mexico,  including  Puebla  and  Ori- 
zaba. Another  line  is  in  contemplation  from  the  city  of  Mexico  to 
Acapulco,  on  the  Pacific,  300  miles  farther,  which  will  connect  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific.  This  will  be  a  highly  important  connection,  con- 
sidering our  California  possessions  on  the  Pacific. 

In  January,  1853,  the  telegraph  was  finished  from  Jalapa  to  Perote. 
The  line  in  Mexico  has  nine  offices  upon  it,  viz.:  City  of  Mexico, 


168  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

Puebla,  Napolucan,  San  Andre,  Orizaba,  Cordova,  Yera  Cruz,  and  on 
the  branch  from  Napolucan,  Perote  and  Jalapa,  there  are  three  Ameri- 
cans on  the  line.  The  rest  of  the  offices  are  filled  by  Mexicans. 

They  are  now  building  the  line  between  Mexico,  Guanajuato,  and 
Leon  ;  distance  about  four  hundred  miles. 

CUBA. 

The  Governor  General  has  ordered  the  publication  of  the  conces- 
sions made  to  companies  for  the  establishment  of  electric  telegraphs 
through  all  points,  and  to  the  principal  cities  of  Cuba.  The  lines  will 
be  established  from  Yillanueva  to  Union,  crossing  several  small  towns 
in  their  way ;  from  Union  to  Matanzas  ;  from  Buerba  to  Macagua ; 
from  Tinguaro  to  Jucaro ;  from  Navagas  to  Isabel ;  from  San  Felipe 
to  Batabano,  and  from  Bincon  to  Guanajay,  by  San  Antonio.  The 
companies  will  be  obliged  to  commence  the  works  six  months  after 
the  date  of  the  concession,  and  to  establish  them  with  the  greatest  pos- 
sible activity. 

The  Cubaneras  have  discovered  the  benefits  the  magnetic  telegraph 
confers  by  facilitating  business  and  transmitting  communications  from 
one  point  to  another.  They  are,  therefore,  setting  about  establishing 
telegraph  lines  throughout  the  island.  Two  companies  have  been 
formed  for  this  purpose.  One  of  these  companies,  with  a  capital  of 
$20,000,  propose  a  line  from  Havana  to  Cienfuegos,  passing  through 
Isabel,  Trinidad,  and  Manzanillo,  to  Cuba.  From  this  point  it  will  be 
extended  to  Bayams,  and  thence  to  Guanagos  and  Pinar  del  Bio,  end- 
ing at  San  Juan  and  Martenez.  The  second  line,  which  also  starts  from 
Havana,  will  communicate  with  Cardenas,  Matanzas,  Siena,  Morena, 
Sagua  la  Grand,  San  Juan  de  los  Bemedios,  Neuvitas,  Moron,  and  Hal- 
guin,  and  will  end  at  Cuba,  having  three  branches  to  Puerto  Principe, 
Sancto  Spiritus,  and  Villa  Clara.  The  same  company  propose  a  line 
from  Havana  to  Hariel,  Cubanas,  and  Bahia  Honda;  the  capital  of  this 
company  is  $300,000.  These  lines,  when  completed,  will  connect  the 
capital  with  every  considerable  town  on  the  island. 

From  The  National  Telegraph  Review  I  extract  the  following 
information :  "  S.  A.  Kennedy,  Esq.,  has  secured  the  contract  to  erect 
a  line  of  telegraph  in  Cuba,  associated  with  Don  Juan  Pages  and  Don 
Jose  Font,  Cuban  merchants.  The  whole  length  of  the  line  will  be 
1,200  miles,  with  51  stations.  In  all,  there  will  be  17  lines  or  sections, 
one  main  line  with  sixteen  branches,  one  of  which,  from  Alacranes  to 
P.  de  Matanzas,  has  a  side  line  to  Calisco.  Thus  arranged,  the  line  will 
require,  for  the  use  of  the  first  wire  erected,  67  instruments,  which  are 
to  be  the  beautiful  instruments  of  Mr.  House. 

16  offices  connecting  side  lines,  at  which  two  machines 

are  necessary,         .         .         .         .         .         .         32  machines. 

Single  offices, 35         " 

67 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  169 

These  are  contracted  for  by  the  government,  through  Kennedy  & 
Co.,  at  $500  each,  net  cost  being  $38,500. 

In  addition  to  this,  a  municipal  telegraph  is  to  be  erected  in  Havana, 
to  be  worked  in  part  with  House  machinery,  and  will  connect  with  a 
Telegraph  school  to  be  established  in  that  city  under  the  tutelage  of 
the  government,  the  management  of  which  will  be  given  to  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy. 

The  contract  made  by  Mr.  Kennedy  and  associates,  is  as  follows : — 

1.  The  poles  to  be  of  either  of  15  native  kinds  of  wood,  or  from  the 
United  States  lumber,  to  be  sawn  yellow  pine. 

2.  Poles  to  be  20  Spanish  feet  in  length,  4  feet  in  the  ground,  and 
to  be  9  inches  in  diameter  at  large  end,  and  4  inches  at  the  other. 

3.  30  poles  to  the  mile. 

4.  The  insulation  of  the  first  wire  to  be  used  by  the  House  line  in 
U.  S.    (See  Insulation^     The  insulation  of  the  second  wire  to  be  simi- 
lar to  the  insulation  of  the  New  York  and  Washington  line.    (See  In- 
sulation?) 

The  wire  used  to  be  No.  8  galvanized  wire,  of  good  quality. 

The  whole  to  be  completed  on  or  about  the  1st  of  May,  1853.  The 
building  of  the  line  is  to  be  commenced  at  four  different  points,  viz.: 
Havana,  Cardenas,  Matanzas,  and  Batabano. 


YALPAEAISO. 

The  telegraph  between  Valparaiso  and  Santiago  is  progressing  ra- 
pidly. Messages  have  already  been  sent  over  one-third  of  the  line, 
(from  Casa  Blanca  to  this  city.)  From  present  appearances,  the  line 
will  be  through  in  less  than  forty  days,  as  the  poles  are  already  up 
more  than  three-quarters  of  the  distance. 

INDIA. 

This  all  infusing  enterprise  has  aroused  the  lethargic  inhabitants  of 
the  tropical  climate.  An  electric  telegraph  has  been  erected  in  India, 
and  is  now  in  successful  operation  ;  the  telegraph  will  soon  belt  both 
continents. 

In  the  East  Indies,  a  line  of  telegraph  has  been  laid  down  and  is 
now  in  working  order  between  Calcutta  and  Kedgeree,  a  distance  of 
72  miles.  This  has  been  done  by  a  Dr.  0.  Shaughnessy,  an  Irish  gen- 
tleman. It  is  now  proposed  by  the  Governor-General  of  India,  Lord 
Dalhousie,  to  unite  all  the  important  places  in  the  British  possessions 
in  that  country  by  electric  cords.  This  will  embrace  lines  of  8,800 
miles  long.  The  line  which  has  been  constructed  differs  entirely  from 
any  of  our  lines  in  America.  The  conductor  (a  wire  with  us),  is  laid 
part  of  the  way  under  ground,  in  a  cement  of  melted  rosin  and  sand, 
and  is  a  five-eighths  of  an  inch  iron  rod.  Part  of  the  way  it  is  carried 
over  ground  on  bamboo  poles,  fifteen  feet  high,  coated  with  coal  tar 
and  pitch,  and  strengthened  at  various  distances  by  posts  of  saul  wood, 
teak,  and  iron  wood  from  America.  The  bamboo  posts  are  found  to  re- 


170  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

sist  storms  which  have  uprooted  trees  the  growth  of  centuries.  Though 
the  bamboo  soon  decays,  yet  its  amazing  cheapness  makes  the  use  of 
it  more  economical  than  that  of  more  durable  and  more  costly  materials. 
The  branch  road  from  Bishlopore  to  Moyapore  passed  through  a 
swamp  ;  the  country  is  little  less  than  a  lake  for  five  months ;  the  con- 
ductor runs  on  footpaths  between  the  island  villages,  and  for  some 
miles  crosses  rice  swamps,  creeks  and  jeels  on  which  no  road  or  em- 
bankment exists.  The  most  difficult  and  objectionable  line  was  selected 
to  test  the  practicability  of  carrying  the  conductors  through  swampy 
ground,  and  it  has  been  perfectly  successful.  The  Huldee  River  crosses 
the  Kedgeree  line  half-way,  and  varies  in  breadth  from  4,200  to  5,800 
feet.  A  gutta  percha  wire,  secured  in  the  angles  of  a  chain  cable,  is 
laid  across  and  under  this  river,  and  this  chain  is  found  to  afford  per- 
fect protection  from  the  grapnels  of  the  heavy  native  boats  which  are 
constantly  passing  up  and  down. 

The  advantages  of  the  iron  rod  as  a  substitute  for  the  wire,  are  stated 
to  be  complete  immunity  from  gusts  of  wind,  or  ordinary  mechanical  vio- 
lence ;  if  accidentally  thrown  down,  they  are  not  injured,  though  passen- 
gers, bullocks,  buffaloes,  and  elephants  may  trample  on  them ;  they  are 
not  easily  broken  or  bent ;  owing  to  the  mass  of  metal,  they  give  so  free 
a  passage  to  the  electric  currents,  that  no  insulation  is  necessary ;  they 
are  attached  from  bamboo  to  bamboo  without  any  protection,  and  they 
work  without  interruption  through  deluges  of  rain ;  the  thickness  of 
the  wire  allows  of  their  being  placed  on  the  post  without  any  occasion 
for  the  straining  and  winding  apparatus,  whereas  the  tension  of  wires 
exposes  them  to  fracture,  occasions  expense  in  construction,  and  much 
difficulty  in  repairs ;  the  thick  rods  also  admit  of  rusting  to  take  place, 
without  danger,  to  an  extent  which  would  be  fatal  to  a  wire.  On  seve- 
ral occasions,  one  village  forge,  carried  by  two  coolies,  has  been  found 
sufficient  for  welding  a  mile  of  rods  in  a  working  day.  The  rods, 
moreover,  are  not  likely  to  be  injured  by  crows  or  monkeys. 
Swarms  of  kites  and  crows  perch  on  the  lines  through  the  swamps, 
but  they  cause  no  harm  ;  the  correspondence  flies  through  their  claws 
without  interruption,  though  on  one  occasion  a  flash  of  lightning  struck 
the  wet  rod,  and  killed  some  scores  of  them.  The  importance  of  this 
discovery  of  the  superiority  of  rods  over  wire  will  be  fully  appreciated 
in  a  country  like  India,  where  the  line  must  often  run  through  a  howl- 
ing wilderness,  tenanted  by  savage  beasts,  or  more  savage  men.  The 
lines  must  therefore  protect  themselves,  and  this  is  secured  by  the  use 
of  thick  rods. 

AUSTRALIA. 

Mr.  Samuel  W.  McGrowan,  late  chief  operator  in  the  Morse  Buffalo 
Telegraphic  Line,  goes  to  the  new  El  Dorado  of  the  Pacific  to  intro- 
duce the  magnetic  telegraph  in  that  distant  region.  It  is  the  intention 
to  build  a  line  from  Sydney  to  Melbourne,  and  afterwards  to  Ade- 
laide, which  will  take  the  wires  around  the  southern  coast  of  that 
golden  island,  a  distance  of  about  one  thousand  miles. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH,  171 


TEXAS. 

According  to  a  letter  in  the  American  Telegraph  Magazine  from  L. 
W.  Cady,  Esq.,  constructor  of  the  New  Orleans  and  Texas  Telegraph, 
dated  Nov.  1852,  states  that  he  was  about  to  embark  on  the  construc- 
tion of  the  New  Orleans,  Opelousas,  and  Great  Western  Telegraph,  to 
extend  from  New  Orleans  to  the  north-western  Eed  Eiver  country, 
and  from  Opelousas  to  Houston  and  Austin,  in  Texas.  The  lines  will 
reach  650  miles  at  about  $200  per  mile,  to  use  the  Morse  instrument. 

CALIFORNIA. 

The  California  Telegraph  Company  were  moving  energetically  in 
arranging  matters  for  the  completion  of  their  lines  between  San  Fran- 
cisco and  the  principal  towns  in  the  interior  of  the  State. 

An  electric  telegraph  is  to  be  immediately  constructed  between 
Lara  and  Agram,  by  which  means  news  from  the  East  will  reach 
England  two  days  sooner  than  at  present. 


INSULATION. 


THE  discovery  of  tlie  usefulness  of  glass  as  a  means  of  producing 
electricity,  appears  to  have  been  made  by  Hawkesbee,  who  wrote  in 
1709.  To  Gray,  who  followed  Hawkesbee,  we  owe  the  remark  that 
the  electrical  excitement  of  glass  and  other  electrics  was  communica- 
ble to  other  bodies  when  insulated,  not  only  by  direct  contact,  but 
by  wires,  or  threads  of  great  length.  It  was  first  observed  by  this 
electrician  in  conjunction  with  another  named  Wheeler,  that  this  pro- 
perty of  conducting  the  electric  virtue,  belonging  to  flax  or  hemp,  did 
not  belong  to  silk ;  also,  that,  by  the  class  of  bodies  in  which  electri- 
city can  be  excited,  it  cannot  be  conducted ;  whilst  in  those  by  which 
it  may  be  conducted,  it  cannot  be  excited. 

Thus  were  two  classes  of  bodies  distinguished,  one  as  electrics,  or 
non-conductors,  the  other  as  non-electrics  or  conductors.  It  was  as- 
certained, however,  that  a  conductor,  if  supported  by  a  non-conductor, 
might  receive  the  electric  virtue  from  an  excited  electric.  A  con- 
ductor so  supported  was  said  to  be  insulated. 

According  to  "  modern  researches,  especially  those  of  Faraday,  we 
are  led  to  conclude  that  there  are  really  no  substances  which  perfectly 
conduct  or  perfectly  obstruct  electrical  action.  The  insulating  or  con- 
ducting is,  in  fact,  a  difference  of  degree  only;  still,  as  remarked  by 
Harris,  the  extreme  differences  are  so  great,  that  if  classed  in  relation 
to  these  differences,  those  at  the  extremes  of  the  series  admit  of  being 
considered,  the  one  as  insulators,  the  other  as  conductors ;  whilst  the 
intermediate  terms  are  made  up  of  substances  which  may  be  considered 
as  imperfect,  taken  as  either.  Conversely,  every  substance  is  capable  of 
excitation  by  friction ;  yet,  the  differences  in  this  respect  are  so  great 
as  to  admit  of  some  bodies  being  called  electrics  and  others  non-elec- 
trics, with  an  intermediate  class  between  these  extremes,  which  may 
be  termed  imperfect  electrics. 

"  The  distinguished  chemist,  Professor  K.  Hare,  of  this  city,  in  his  new 
theory  of  electricity,  defines  conduction  to  be  a  susceptibility  of  undu- 
latory  polarization.  Insulation  to  be  insusceptibility  of  such  undu- 
latory  polarization. 

"  Conduction  conveys  electricity  to  any  point  which  it  could  not  other- 
wise have  attained  with  almost  infinite  speed,  while  insulation,  if  it  does 
not  prevent  all  motion,  allows  it  to  take  place  to  an  insignificant  ex- 
tent. 


THE  ELECTKO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  173 

"  The  conducting  property  of  bodies  appears  to  depend  essentially 
on  their  chemical  nature ;  thus,  we  see  all  the  metals  are  good  con- 
ductors ;  all  hy drogenated  substances  are  bad  conductors.  However,  in 
many  cases,  the  physical  constitution,  also,  exercises  an  influence  upon 
conductibility ;  ice  does  not  conduct,  while  water  does  conduct ;  tallow 
and  wax  become  conductors  only  when  they  are  melted ;  it  is  the  same 
with  several  salts.  Glass  is  a  good  conductor  when  it  is  heated  to 
redness.  M.  Matteucci,  has,  moreover,  lately  remarked,  that  sulphur 
and  gum-lac  lose  a  portion  of  their  insulating  power  by  an  elevation 
of  temperature  incapable  of  changing  their  cohesion.  Diamond  is  a 
perfect  insulator,  whilst  mineral  carbon  is  a  good  conductor,  if  it  has 
been  strongly  heated. 

"  Carbon  in  general  conducts  better  or  worse,  according  as  it  has  been 
more  or  less  baked. 

"Air  and  gases  are  less  insulating  as  they  are  more  rarefied,  which 
is  the  same  as  saying  that  vacuum  is  a  good  conductor  of  electricity. 

"Finally,  there  is  one  circumstance,  independent  of  the  chemical 
nature  and  the  physical  constitution  of  bodies,  which  renders  them 
better  or  worse  conductors ;  it  is  their  degree  of  affinity  for  the  hu- 
midity of  the  air.  It  is  welL^hat  moist  air  and  gases  cease  to  be  insu- 
lators. Glass,  which  is  of  itself  a  good  insulator,  easily  becomes  a 
conductor  as  soon  as  it  is  exposed  to  humidity ;  it  attracts  to  its  surface 
the  aqueous  vapors  of  the  atmosphere ;  they  form  there  a  thin  film  of 
water,  by  which  the  electricity  passes  away. 

"  Thus,  in  order  that  glass  rods  shall  insulate  well  the  electricity 
accumulated  upon  the  conductor  to  which  they  serve  as  supports,  care 
is  taken  to  cover  them  with  a  thin  coat  of  varnish,  made  with  gum-lac 
dissolved  in  alcohol,  a  coating  which  protects  the  surface  of  the  glass 
against  the  deposition  of  moisture,-  and  which  at  the  same  time  itself 
insulates  very  well." 

The  following  is  an  approximative  table  of  the  conducting  and  in- 
sulating faculty  of  different  bodies.  This  table  is  composed  of  two 
columns ;  the  first  contains  the  conducting  bodies,  placed  in  the  order 
of  their  degree  of  conductibility,  beginning  with  the  best  conductors ; 
and  the  second  contains  the  insulating  bodies,  placed  in  the  order  of 
their  insulating  faculty,  beginning  by  the  worse  insulators.  It  hence 
follows,  that  the  second  column  may  be  regarded  as  a  continuation  of 
the  first.  * 

Conducting  Bodies  placed  in  the  order  of  their  Con-    Insulating  Bodies,  placed  in  the  inverse  order  of  their 
ducting  Power.  Insulating  Faculty. 

All  the  metals.  Dry  metallic  oxides. 

Well-burnt  carbon.  Oils;  the  heaviest  are  the  Lest. 

Plumbago.  Ashes  of  vegetable  bodies. 

Concentrated  acids.  Ashes  of  animal  bodies. 

Dilute  acids. v  Many  dry  transparent  crystals. 

Saline  solutions.  Ice  below  13°  Fahr. 

Metallic  ores.  Phosphorus. 

Animal  fluids.  Lime. 

Sea-water.  Dry  chalk. 

Spring-water.  Native  carbonate  of  baryta. 

Rain-water.  Lycopodium. 

Ice  above  13°  Fahr.  Caoutchouc. 


171 


THE  ELECTRO- MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Conducting  Bodies  placed  in  the  order  of  tbeir  Con- 
ducting Power. 

Snow. 

Living  vegetables. 

Living  animals. 

Flame. 

Smoke. 

Vapor. 

Salts  soluble  in  water. 

Rarefied  air. 

The  vapor  of  alcohol. 

The  vapor  of  ether. 

Earths  and  moist  rocks. 

Powdered  glass. 

Flowers  of  sulphur. 


Insulating  Bodies,  placed  in  the  inverse  order  of  their 
Insulating  Faculty. 

Camphor. 

Some  siliceous  and  argillaceous  stones. 

Dry  marble. 

Porcelain. 

Dry  vegetable  bodies. 

Wood  that  has  been  strongly  heated. 

Dry  gases  and  air. 

Leather. 

Parchment. 

Dry  paper. 

Feathers. 

Hair,  wool. 

Dyed  silk. 

\Vhite_silk. 

Raw  silk. 

Transparent  precious  stones. 

The  diamond. 

Mica. 

All  vitrifactions. 

Glass. 

Jet. 

Wax. 

Sulphur. 

The  resins. 

Amber. 

Gum-lac. 


Gutta  percha  is  of  all  known  substances,  one  of  the  best  insulators ; 
its  place,  however,  cannot  exactly  be  assigned  in  this  table.* 

Having  thus  given  the  general  characters  of  the  class  of  substances 
known  as  insulators,  I  will  now  proceed  to  make  some  application  of 
the  facts  to  the  telegraph.- 

In  the  construction  of  lines  of  electric  telegraph,  great  care  should 
be  employed  to  secure  as  perfect  insulation  as  possible.  This,  we  are 
sorry  to  say,  is  one  of  the  great  defects  of  all  the  lines  in  this  country. 
It  matters  notliow  perfect  and  reliable  our  telegraphic  machinery  may 
be,  still,. if  the  insulation  be  defective,  it  will  prove  one  of  the  greatest 
sources  of  annoyance  and  disappointment.  Much,  it  is  true,  can  be 
done  by  increasing  the  numbers  and  powers  of  batteries,  or  by  distri- 
buting them  along  the  line  where  none  previously  existed ;  still,  by 
this  arrangement,  there  is  always  increased  expense  and  great  waste 
of  battery  power. 

The  disagreeable  fact,  however,  ought  not  to  be  withheld,  that  in 
rainy  or  foggy  weather  not  one  of  our  telegraphic  lines  in  this  coun- 
try is  reliable,  or,  if  they  work  at  all,  it  is  only  from  one  short  station 
to  another,  and  that  with  extreme  difficulty.  But  this  is  the  case,  not 
only  in  this  country,  but  also  in  France,  Germany,  and  England,  where 
they  require  but  a  weak  current  to  deflect  their  needle  instruments. 

Edward  Highton,  Esq.,  Telegraphic  Engineer,  remarks,  that  owing  to 
this  result  of  imperfect  insulation,  it  has  been  found  impossible  for  weeks 
together  to  telegraph  direct,  even  between  London  and  Liverpool,  al- 
though the  insulation  has  been  changed  several  times  in  the  course  of 


*  De  la  Rive. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  175 

the  last  few  years.  The  only  way  in  which  the  communication  could 
be  carried  on  was  by  sending  the  message  to  an  intermediate  station, 
and  then,  by  repeating  it  at  such  intermediate  stations,  to  forward  it 
thence  to  Liverpool. 

The  December  number  of  the  American  Telegraph  Magazine  contains 
the  following  observations  on  Defective  Insulation : — 

"  Can  the  present  insulation  be  materially  improved  ?  is  a  very  im- 
portant question.  We  answer,  it  can  be  so  much  improved  as  to 
secure  the  perfect  working  of  a  line  five  hundred  miles  in  length 
during  the  worst  weather.  Science  has  told  us,  ever  since  the  first 
mile  of  telegraph  was  erected,  that  we  should  not  rely  on  glass  as  an 
insulator ;  and  yet  we  have  used  it  almost  universally.  Every  one  has 
observed  that,  whenever  the  weather  is  wet  or  foggy,  every  article  of 
glass  is  covered  with  a  thin  film  of  water,  and,  of  course,  each  '  insu- 
lator' on  a  line  of  telegraph  is  so  covered  with  moisture.  Certainly 
some  electricity  will  escape  over  each  glass  insulator  so  covered  (ac- 
cording to  De  la  Rive,  glass  becomes  a  conductor  as  soon  as  it  is  ex- 
posed to  humidity  ;  it  attracts  to  its  surface  the  aqueous  vapors  of  the 
atmosphere ;  they  form  there  a  thin  film  of  water,  by  which  the  elec- 
tricity passes  away),  and  when  we  reflect  that,  on  a  line  of  telegraph 
five  hundred  miles  in  length,  there  are  15,000  such  imperfect  insulators 
to  conduct  the  fluid  from  the  wire,  we  are  at  no  loss  to  account  for  the 
dissipation  of  all,  or  nearly  all,  the  galvanism  generated  by  the  battery, 
and  the  consequent  bad  working  of  the  line. 

"  Without,  at  present,  entering  very  minutely  into  the  subject,  we 
will  state  our  own  opinion  as  to  the  material  which  should  be  used  for 
telegraphic  insulation. 

"  Inasmuch  as  glass  cannot  be  so  protected  as  to  prevent  its  surface 
from  being  covered  with  a  film  of  water  (unless  covered  with  varnish, 
in  which  case  the  glass  itself  is  unnecessary  and  useless),  some  other 
insulating  substance,  not  liable  to  that  objection,  should,  if  obtainable, 
be  used. 

"  It  is  well  known  that  dry  wood,  as  an  insulator,  is  inferior  to  no 
other  material.  Shell-lac  is  also  as  perfect  an  insulator  as  we  have. 
Now,  saturate  and  cover  dry  wood  with  shell-lac  varnish,  and  we  have  a 
cheap  and  nearly  perfect  insulator.  Moisture  does  not  condense  on 
and  cover  a  varnished  surface  as  it  does  a  glass  surface ;  besides,  the 
greater  the  extent  of  insulation,  the  less  electricity  will  escape  over  it. 

"  It  will  be  readily  seen  that  a  large  surface  of  wood  and  shell-lac  can 
be  obtained  at  a  much  smaller  price  than  it  could  be  of  glass. 

"  We  say  nothing  at  present  of  the  shapes  and  forms  best  adapted 
for  telegraphic  purposes,  but  throw  out  the  foregoing  hints,  hoping  to 
hear  from  some  of  the  telegraphic  fraternity  on 
the  subject." 

The  insulator  employed  on  the  Morse  line 
from  New  York  to  Washington,  is  shown  in 
the  following  cut,  Fig.  59. 

It  consists  simply  of  a  glass  knob  with  two 
rings,  between  which  the  wire  is  simply  wrap- 
ped; the  shank  is  of  iron,  and  is  driven  into 


176 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Fig.  60. 


the  posts.  From  the  ease  with,  which  moisture  settles  upon  the  glass, 
there  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  a  large  portion  of  the  current  is  led  into 
the  post  in  wet  weather,  and  so  into  the  ground,  and  thus  the  instru- 
ment works  with  difficulty  upon  even  the  slightest  shower. 

I  am  somewhat  surprised  that  this  company,  with  its  intelligent 
and  public-spirited  President,  does  not  make  some  effort  to  improve 
its  insulators,  and  have  them  protected.  It  has  been  found,  that 
with  this  form  of  insulator  the  atmospheric  electricity  cracks  the  glass 
in  two  pieces,  just  as  if  it  had  been  cut  with  a  diamond.  Another 
form  of  insulator  may  be  seen  at  Fig.  30,  page  75,  which  also  shows 
the  method  of  attaching  the  glass  caps,  of  whatever  form,  either  upon 
crossbars,  or  supported  by  iron  staples  driven  into  the  post. 

A  better  form  is  seen  in  Fig.  60,  which  is  the  insulator  used  on  the 
House  line  of  telegraph. 

It  consists  of  a  glass  cap  about  five  inches  in 
length  and  four  inches  in  diameter,  having  a  coarse 
screw-like  surface  cut  inside  and  out.  This  glass 
cap  (No.  2)  is  screwed  and  cemented  into  a  bell- 
shaped  iron  cap  (No.  1)  about  from  three  to  four 
Ibs.  in  weight,  projecting  an  inch  before  the  lower 
edge  of  the  glass,  protecting  it  from  being  broken ; 
this  is  then  fitted  with  much  care  to  the  top  of  the 
pole  No.  3,  and  is  covered  with  paint  or  varnish. 
The  conducting  wire  is  fastened  to  the  top  of  the 
cap  by  projecting  iron  points,  and  the  whole  of  the 
iron  cap  is  thus  in  the  circuit,  as  the  wire  is  of  iron 
and  not  insulated.  To  prevent  the  deposit  of 
moisture,  the  glass  is  covered  by  a  varnish  of  gum- 
lac  dissolved  in  alcohol,  and  the  ring-like  form  of 
the  glass  is  to  cause  any  moisture  to  be  carried  to 
the  edge  and  there  drop  off. 

The  chief  objections  to  this  form,  although  an  improvement  on  that 
employed  on  the  Morse  line,  is,  that  it  is  very  expensive,  from  the 
large  amount  of  glass  and  iron  used  in  its  construction.  It  could  be 
made  much  more  effectual  if  of  well  glazed  stoneware,  having  an  iron 
hook  for  the  suspension  of  the  wire,  and  a  hood  of  wood  to  keep  off 
the  rain.  Or,  not  to  throw  away  the  glass  insulators  that  are  now  in 
use,  if,  instead  of  the  iron  roof,  use  wood,  and  instead  of  the  varnish 
employ  the  melted  shell-lac,  heating  the  glass  by  radiant  heat,  and  then 
dipping  the  glass  into  it,  so  that,  instead  of  it  cracking  and  chipping 
off,  it  will  remain  and  act  as  a  perfect  insulating  coating ;  also  fixing  a 
hook  with  plaster  of  Paris  into  the  upper  part  of  the  glass,  and  sus- 
pend the  wire  by  it. 

A  third  form  of  insulator  has  been  patented  by  Messrs.  Farmer  and 
Batchelder,  of  Boston,  shown  in  Fig.  61,  which  is  a  vertical  section  of 
it.  The  outer  cap  shown  by  the  dark  line  is  of  cast-iron,  which  is 
lined  with  porcelain ;  in  the  interior  of  this  porcelain  is  fitted  a  rod 
with  a  screw  upon  its  lower  end;  this  rod  is  held  by  glass  or  lead 
cast  around  it,  and  the  rod  itself  is  also  coated  with  porcelain.  The 
lower  edge  of  the  cap  is  turned  inwards  towards  the  holder,  its  form 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  177 

being  such  as  to  divert  the  rain  downwards  and  prevent  it  from  enter- 
ing the  inside  of  the  cap.     Mr.  Batchelder  informed  me 
that  this  form  of  insulator,  which  is  employed  in  the          Fig.  61. 
Municipal  Telegraph  in  the  city  of  Boston,  has  been 
found  to  insulate  well. 

Having  thus  noticed  the  principal  forms  of  insulators 
employed  in  this  country,  I  will  pass  to  that  of  Eng- 
land, as  being  second,  in  regard  to  extent  of  lines  of 
electric  telegraph,  to  the  United  States. 

In  England,  most  of  the  electric  telegraph  lines,  after 
trying  glass,  wood,  and  porcelain,  have  adopted  (in  1851) 
insulators  of  various  forms,  "  rings,  collars,  and  double 
cones  made  of  brown  stoneware,  which,  of  all  substances 
yet  tried,  throws  off  the  wet  most  readily.  A  stone 
pitcher,  after  being  plunged  into  water,  is  seen  to  retain 
scarcely  a  trace  of  the  immersion  beyond  a  few  drops 
on  the  surface." 

W.  C.  Y.  Walker,  Telegraphic  Engineer,  has  substituted  for  the  old 
form  of  cone,  to  which  it  seems  there  were  many  objections  in  practice, 
a  large  open-mouthed  cone,  or  rather  hollow  double  cone  of  well  glazed 
earthenware,  so  constructed  that  the  wire  and  the  cone  should  be  in 
contact  at  the  smallest  possible  surface  ;  also  that  as  the  place  of  con- 
tact is  as  far  as  possible  withinside  the  cone,  it  should  be  as  inaccessi- 
ble as  possible  to  wet ;  also  from  its  shape,  that  any  wet  attaining  to 
the  cone  would  by  mere  gravity  run  away  from  the  place  of  contact ; 
also  that  the  part  of  the  cone,  where  it  is  in  contact  with  the  wire, 
should  be  at  the  farthest  distance  from  the  timber  of  the  pole  sustain- 
ing all ;  after  suspending  the  wires,  the  whole  is  covered  with  a  roof  of 
wood  having  sides  and  ends. 

The  wires  from  Eed  Hill  to  Shalford,  a  distance  of  19  miles ;  from 
Ash  to  Eeading,  19  miles ;  from  Ashford  to  St.  Leonards,  28  miles,  are 
all  suspended  in  this  way. 

These  lines  are  remarkable  for  their  perfect  insulation  and  good 
working  order.  It  was  feared  that  the  birds  would  build  nests  in  the 
roofs,  but  such  has  not  been  the  case.  "  The  great  practical  difficulty 
to  be  overcome  is  to  prevent  the  dampness  from  entering  the  point  of 
contact ;  this  has  been  found  accomplished  in  this  form  of  insulator." 
— Report  of  Jury  of  London  Exhibition. 

Wires  passing  through  railroad  tunnels  are  covered  with  gutta 
percha  and  laid  in  a  grooved  board  covered  in.  The  grooves  are 
ploughed  out  by  machinery,  and  the  board  is  also  covered  with  mine- 
ral varnish  and  secured  close  to  the  tunnel  walls ;  remaining,  when 
once  nailed  on,  in  good  working  order  and  in  a  perfect  state  of  insula- 
tion. This  grooved  board,  simple  as  it  is,  will  doubtless  be  found  a 
very  useful  mode  of  conducting  the  wires  through  tunnels,  not  being 
in  the  way  of  the  cars  in  their  passage. 

The  mode  of  Insulation  in  Germany. — In  Germany,  after  numerous 
trials,  they  have  found  the  accompanying  insulator  answer  their  expec- 
tations in  regard  to  its  insulating  qualities.     Fig.  62  presents  a  tele- 
graphic post  I7,  with  the  insulating  cap  employed  on  the  telegraphic 
12 


178  f  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

lines  in  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Brunswick.  The  pole  terminates  in  a  point 
c,  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length  and  about  six  lines 
in  diameter ;  this  pole  is  covered  with  a  porcelain 
cap  d  d,  a  sort  of  reversed  cup,  on  its  summit  e ; 
there  is  a  hole  a,  in  which  the  conducting  wire 
b  b  enters  inlaid  with  lead ;  this  insulator  is  then 
covered  with  a  roof.  This  form  of  insulator  is 
considered  by  Dr.  Schellen  as  perfect,  and  even 
with  very  intense  currents  there  is  no  loss  of 
electricity. 

Mode  of  Insulation  in  France. — The  posts  in 
France  are  of  pine  or  fir,  from  twenty  to  thirty 
feet  in  length,  which  they  inject  with  sulphate  of 
copper  by  the  Bouchirn  process,  to  lengthen  the 
time  of  their  preservation.  They  bark  them  and 
fix  them  in  the  earth,  the  smallest  to  the  depth  of 
30  inches,  the  tallest  to  the  depth  of  60  inches  ;  the  buried  part  is  per- 
fectly preserved  by  the  sulphate  of  copper.  The  insulators  used  in 
France  are  of  porcelain,  fixed  on  the  sides  of  the  post,  and  not  on 
the  top;  the  form  is  either  bell-shape  or  a  double  oblique  cone, 
fixed  to  the  sides  of  the  post  by  means  of  screws,  and  sealed  with  sul- 
phur in  the  interior,  the  conducting  wire  passing  through  a  ring  sup- 
port fixed  in  the  interior  of  the  double  oblique  cone,  so  that  the  wire 
only  passes  on  a  point  sheltered  by  the  mass  of  the  support. 

The  great  advantage  of  this  system,  as  stated  by  Moigno,  is  that  the 
post  is  not  enfeebled  in  making  it  thinner  at  any  point,  and  that  by 
adding  bells  of  porcelain  the  number  of  wires  can  be  indefinitely  in- 
creased. 

To  traverse  the  passage  of  a  level,  or  to  pass  above  the  building  of 
a  station,  the  posts  are  over  61  feet. 

When  the  conducting  wires  are  to  be  buried  in  the  soil,  like  those 
which  pass  under  the  pavements  of  cities,  they  are  of  copper  (No.  16). 
If  gutta  percha  is  not  employed,  they  are  covered  with  cotton,  satu- 
rated with  tar,  and  collected  in  leaden  pipes,  in  groups  of  three  or  four 
at  most ;  the  leaden  pipes  covered  with  a  pitched  cord,  and  the  whole 
placed  in*  a  conducting  pipe  of  iron. 

Mr.  Highton,  to  obviate  the  difficulty  where  many  wires  are  required 
to  be  suspended  on  the  same  post  or  support,  proposes,  first,  to  con- 
duct the  insulation  to  a  considerable  distance  from  the  post,  and,  se- 
condly, to  place  between  wire  and  wire  a  direct  communication  with 
the  earth,  so  that  any  of  the  electricity  transmitted,  as  it  escapes  from 
the  wire,  may  be  intercepted  by  this  communication  with  the  earth, 
and  so  transmitted  direct  to  the  earth,  without  the  possibility  of  en- 
tering an  adjoining  wire. 

In  such  a  case,  it  will  only  be  necessary,  in  very  great  lengths  of 
wire  and  in  very  adverse  weather,  to  increase  the  quantity  of  electri- 
city transmitted,  in  order  to  make  due  allowance  for  the  quantity  that 
escapes  at  the  points  of  the  insulation.  However  great  such  amount 
of  electricity  required  may  be,  no  portion  thereof  can  reach  the  ad- 
joining wire,  and  thereby  disarrange  the  telegraphic  instruments  con- 
nected with  such  other  wires. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  179 

A  very  important  part  of  the  telegraph  is  the  posts,  which  in  the 
great  majority  of  cases  are  of  green  timber,  not  even  seasoned,  which, 
from  the  large  amount  of  moisture  they  contain,  are  conductors.  Even 
after  seasoning  or  drying  for  six  months,  they  still  contain  from  17  to 
20  per  cent,  of  moisture.  It  is  also  a  well  established  fact  that  a  cubic 
foot  of  air-dried  wood  contains  from  457  to  586  cubic  inches  of  air  in 
the  pores,  which  is  also  a  conductor,  when  moist.  How  is  this  to  be 
obviated  ?  By  selecting  poles  of  yellow  pine,  well  seasoned,  then  sub- 
jecting them  to  complete  baking  by  heat,  and  then  forcing  into  them 
melted  pitch,  so  that  the  entire  pores  of  the  wood  shall  be  full  of  a 
good  non-conducting  substance.  In  this  way  there  will  be  much  more 
perfect  insulation,  and  the  cost  will  pay  for  itself  by  the  durability  of 
the  poles,  being  perfectly  protected  from  moisture  and  the  depreda- 
tions of  insects.  This  we  consider  a  matter  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  the  telegraphic  engineer. 

According  to  my  distinguished  friend,  Prof.  Robert  Hare,  the  true 
reason  of  the  difficulty  in  insulation  is  in  employing  the  earth  as  part 
of  the  circuit,  and  depends  on  the  following  law :  "  That  each  of  two 
bodies,  which  we  necessarily  suppose  insulated,  takes  a  part  of  the 
total  electricity  proportional  to  its  own  surface." 

This  law  explains  why  an  insulating  and  an  electrized  conducting 
body  (like  the  telegraphic  wire),  when  put  into  communication  with 
the  ground,  loses  its  electricity;  the  electricity  that  it  possesses  is 
really  divided  between  itself  and  the  earth,  proportional  to  their  re- 
spective surfaces ;  but  its  surface  being  infinitely  small  in  comparison 
with  that  of  the  earth,  there  must,  therefore,  remain  to  it,  after  contact, 
infinitely  less  electricity,  or  none  at  all  in  some  instances. 

This  is  the  action  of  the  law  at  all  times  when  applied  to  the  tele- 
graph, but  when  the  air  is  dry  and  the  posts  partially  insulated  with 
the  dry  earth — almost  an  insulator — there  is  sufficient  current  from  the 
battery  to  work  most  of  our  telegraphic  instruments ;  but  in  moist  or 
foggy  weather,  when  the  posts  and  the  earth  become  almost  perfect 
conductors,  the  only  effectual  remedy  is  to  unite  two  insulated  wires 
going  to  a  distant  city,  and  it  will  be  found  that  by  such  an  arrange- 
ment they  will  be  able  to  work  in  rainy  or  foggy  weather,  almost  as 
great  a  distance  as  in  ordinary  weather,  when  using  but  one  wire,  con- 
nected with  the  earth.  But  to  make  the  line  independent  of  all  kinds 
of  weather,  they  must  have  a  perfect  conductor  all  the  way,  and  not 
use  the  earth  as  a  conductor  for  the  return  current.  The  wire  should 
also  be  covered  with  cotton  or  wool,  and  then  varnished  with  pitch  or 
asphaltum,  dissolved  in  coal  naphtha  or  marine  glue,  and  renewed 
by  some  arrangement  every  six  months.  The  insulator  should  also 
be  made  of  earthenware  or  stoneware,  and  the  interior  should  be 
lined  with  the  very  best  insulating  substance  that  is  known — gutta 
percha.  I  will  give  a  description  of  gutta  percha,  and  the  method 
of  preparing  it  for  insulation,  for  by  its  defective  preparation  it  has 
received  a  bad  name  from  those  not  fully  acquainted  with  its  phy- 
sical and  chemical  characters,  and  from  confounding  it  with  caout- 
chouc, from  which  it  differs  very  much.  It  differs  in  the  first  instance 
from  caoutchouc  in  being  a  truly  fibrous  substance,  which  is  not  the 


180  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

case  with  caoutchouc.  A  strip  or  sheet  of  gutta  percha  may  be 
stretched  considerably  in  one  direction,  that  is,  in  a  line  with  the  fibre  ; 
but  if  you  attempt  to  stretch  it  across  this  line,  it  separates  into  thin 
ribbon-like  pieces.  It  is  not  so  with  a  sheet  of  caoutchouc,  which  will 
stretch  equally  in  all  directions.  On  a  careful  examination  by  Prof. 
Page,  of  Washington,  of  thin  sheets  of  these  two  substances,  believed 
to  be  ISOMERICAL,  a  marked  difference  of  texture  was  at  once  per- 
ceived. The  caoutchouc  gives  little  or  no  change  of  color,  while  the 
gutta  percha  exhibits  a  beautiful  spectacle.  It  appears  to  be  built  up 
of  prisms  of  every  variety  of  hue,  and,  as  it  were,  fused  into  each  other. 
Friction  with  a  piece  of  velvet  or  silk  on  a  dry  sheet  of  gutta  percha, 
will  develop  a  large  amount  of  negative  electricity,  and  in  the  dark 
will  give  off  long  flashes  of  electric  light. 

In  1848,  Faraday  drew  attention  to  the  high  insulating  power  of 
gutta  percha,  which  not  only  possesses  this  property  under  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances, but  likewise  retains  it  under  atmospheric  conditions, 
which  would  make  the  surface  of  glass  a  good  conductor.  A  good 
piece  of  gutta  percha  insulates  as  perfectly  as  shell-lac,  whether  it  be  in 
the  form  of  a  disk,  a  stick,  or  a  thread.  It  is,  moreover,  tough  and 
pliable  in  the  cold,  soft  in  the  heat,  and  hence  preferable  in  many  cases 
to  the  brittle  shell-lac.  In  the  form  of  straps  or  cords  gutta  percha  pre- 
sents an  excellent  means  of  suspension,  and  in  plates  it  furnishes  the 
best  insulating  supports.  It  forms  excellent  insulating  stoppers  for 
the  ends  of  goldleaf  electrometers  if  inclosed  in  tubes ;  large  stoppers 
furnish  good  insulating  stuffing  for  temporary  electrical  arrangements. 
Cylinders  of  half  an  inch  or  more  in  diameter  possess  great  rigidity, 
and  form  excellent  insulating  supports.  This  good  insulation,  more- 
over, fits  it  admirably  for  exciting  negative  electricity.  All  gutta 
percha  is  not  found  in  this  good  electrical  condition. 

With  respect  to  that  which  is  not  so  (and  which  has  constituted 
about  one-half  of  that  which  is  to  be  obtained),  it  has  either  discharged 
an  electrometer  as  a  piece  of  paper  or  wood  would  do,  or  it  has  made 
it  collapse  greatly  by  touching,  yet  has,  on  its  removal,  been  followed 
by  a  full  opening  of  the  leaves  again.  The  latter  effect  Prof.  Faraday 
has  been  able  to  trace,  and  refer  to  a  conducting  portion  within  the 
mass  covered  by  a  thin  external  non-conducting  coat.  When  a  piece 
which  insulates  well  is  cut,  the  surface  exposed  has  a  resinous  lustre 
and  a  compact  character  that  is  very  distinctive  ;  whilst  that  which 
conducts  has  not  the  same  degree  of  lustre,  appears  less  translucent, 
and  has  more  the  aspect  of  a  turbid  solution  solidified.  As  both  moist 
steam  heat  and  water-baths  are  used  in  its  preparation  for  commerce, 
the  difference  of  specimens  depends  probably  upon  the  manner  in  which 
these  are  applied,  and  followed  by  the  after  process  of  rolling  between 
hot  cylinders.  Prof.  Faraday,  having  soaked  a  good  piece  in  water  for 
an  hour,  on  taking  it  out  and  wiping  it,  and,  exposing  it  to  the  air 
for  a  minute  or  two,  found  it  insulated  as  well  as  ever.  Another  piece 
was  soaked  for  four  days,  and  then  wiped  and  tried;  at  first  it  was 
found  lowered  in  insulating  power ;  but  after  twelve  hours'  exposure 
to  the  air  under  common  circumstances,  it  was  as  good  as  ever.  He 
also  found  that  a  week's  exposure,  in  a  warm  air  cupboard,  of  a  piece 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  181 

that  did  not  insulate,  made  it  much  better ;  a  film  on  the  outside 
became  non-conducting.  But  if  two  fresh  surfaces  were  exposed  by 
cutting,  and  these  were  brought  into  contact  with  the  electrometer  and 
the  finger,  the  inside  portion  was  still  found  to  conduct. 

If  the  gutta  percha,  either  in  the  good  or  the  bad  condition  (as  to 
electrical  service),  be  submitted  to  a  gradually  increasing  temperature, 
at  about  350°  to  380°,  and  is  spread  out  and  kneaded,  it  gives  off  a 
considerable  proportion  of  water;  being  then  cooled,  the  substance 
which  remains  has  the  general  properties  of  gutta  percha,  and  insulates 
well. 

A  degree  of  insulation  no  less  than  that  of  gutta  percha  is  possessed 
by  collodion,  the  residuary  substance  obtained  by  the  evaporation  of 
an  ethereal  solution  of  gun-cotton.  If  the  clear  solution  be  spread 
over  a  glass  plate,  there  remains,  after  entire  volatilization  of  the 
solvent,  a  transparent  cuticle,  which,  by  merely  passing  the  hand  over 
it,  or,  more  effectually,  by  friction  with  wool,  becomes  negatively  elec- 
tric, and  obstinately  retains  this  electrical  state. 

The  telegraph  wire  now  employed  in  almost  all  the  lines  is  that  of 
iron  wire  No.  8,  and  in  many  instances  it  is  not  covered,  which  is 
wrong,  for  it  soon  becomes  oxidized  and  ceases  to  conduct  with  facility. 
It  will  be  seen  that  oxides  themselves  are  placed  in  the  list  of  con- 
ducting bodies  with  metallic  ores — the  sixth  after  even  the  worst  of 
the  metals  in  conducting  power.  It  is  therefore  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance that  the  wire  should  be  galvanized  with  zinc,  as  the  zinc 
preserves  the  iron  from  corrosion,  and  that  this  wire,  near  cities,  should 
be  well  painted  every  six  months  with  marine  or  zinc  paint,  for  the 
sulphurous  acid  given  off  in  the  combustion  of  coal  acts  upon  this  gal- 
vanized wire  so  as  to  destroy  it. 

Another  important  suggestion  is  made  by  Mr.  Reid,  in  the  Telegraph 
Review  for  July,  1853,  which  is  to  erect  stronger  poles,  namely,  of 
iron  with  a  stone  base,  with  a  wooden  finish  on  which  to  plant  the 
insulators.  He  considers  this  form  to  have  strong  claims  to  the  ac- 
ceptance of  a  company  able  to  erect  such  a  line.  "  It  has  long  been  his 
beau-ideal  of  the  telegraph ;  a  line  which  time  may  play  with  long  in 
vain,  and  the  storm  leave,  amid  its  fiercest  attacks,  scatheless  and 
unharmed." 

He  also  states  that  we  may  obtain  one  of  the  simplest  coating,  and 
perhaps  one  of  the  best  substances  which  can  be  used,  of  an  uncon- 
ducting  character,  by  first  allowing  the  wire  to  rust,  and  then  coating 
it  with  boiled  linseed  oil.  A  paint  of  the  oxide  of  iron  is  thus  formed, 
simple,  cheap,  permanent,  and  with  the  merit  of  an  easy  application. 


ON  LIGHTNING  PROTECTORS. 


ALMOST  as  soon  as  the  first  telegraphic  lines  were  established,  it  was 
found  that  atmospheric  electricity  collected  on  the  semi-insulated  wire, 
and  often  produced  injurious  results  to  the  wire,  instruments,  and  sup- 
ports. The  first  instance  was  that  of  the  electric  telegraph  laid  down 
at  Gottingen,  by  Gauss  and  Weber,  between  the  years  1833  and 
1834,  the  wires  of  which  were  fused  by  a  stroke  of  lightning. 
The  second  instance  is  related  by  Dr.  Steinheil  as  occurring  on 
his  telegraph  between  Munich  and  Bogenhausen ;  on  the  7th  July, 
1838,  it  sounded  the  bell,  and  the  blow  was  so  hard  that  the  points  on 
which  the  magnetic  bar  played  were  injured.  He  endeavors  to  ac- 
count for  the  explosive  discharge,  by  supposing  that  the  electricity  of 
the  earth  may  have  made  its  way  to  that  collected  in  the  wire. 
"  Whether  this  result  was  brought  about  through  the  lightning  conduct- 
ors in  the  neighborhood,  or  the  imperfect  insulation  of  the  points  of 
support,  cannot  well  be  made  out  by  him." 

Soon  after  the  establishment  of  the  first  line  of  telegraph  by  Pro- 
fessor Morse,  in  1844,  the  disastrous  consequences  resulting  from  the 
same  cause,  compelled  him  to  resort  to  some  method  to  obviate  the 
difficulty  by  causing  the  superabundant  electricity  to  be  conveyed  to 
the  ground.  One  was  to  have  the  circuit  closing  wire  of  a  receiving 
magnet,  employed  for  this  sole  purpose,  pass  into  the  earth ;  another, 
to  have  a  metallic  connection  made  with  the  surface  of  a  brass  ball, 
surrounded  by  a  ring  situated  in  and  forming  part  of  the  circuit,  from 
the  inner  circumference  of  which  minute  metallic  points  project,  but' 
not  touching  the  balls.  Both  of  these  means  were  found,  however,  in- 
efficient to  obviate  the  difficulty. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  June  19, 
1846,  the  Society  received  a  letter  from  S.  D.  Ingham,  Esq.,  of  New 
Hope,  Pa.,  detailing  numerous  cases  in  which  the  telegraphic  wires  had 
been  struck  by  lightning,  and  asking  the  attention  of  the  Society  to 
questions  connected  with  the  mode  in  which  the  wires  may  be  affected 
by  electricity.  The  letter  was  referred  to  Prof.  Henry,  who,  after  col- 
lecting numerous  facts  and  making  experiments  in  reference  to  the  ac- 
tion of  atmospheric  electricity  on  the  wires  of  the  telegraph,  concluded 
that  the  effects  are  produced  in  several  different  ways. 

1.  That  the  wires  of  the  telegraph  are  liable  to  be  struck  by  a  direct 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  183 

discharge  of  lightning  from  the  clouds,  and  the  discharge  given  off  to 
a  number  of  poles  in  succession. 

2.  That  the  state  of  the  wire  may  be  disturbed  by  the  conduction  of 
a  current  of  electricity  from  one  portion  of  space  to  another,  without 
the  presence  of  a  thundercloud,  a  mere  difference  in  elevation  being 
attended  with  a  change  in  the  electrical  state  of  the  atmosphere ;  for  if 
the  line  of  telegraph  pass  over  an  elevated  mountain  ridge,  there  will 
be  continually,  during  clear  weather,  a  current  from  the  more  elevated 
to  the  lower  points  of  the  conductor. 

A  current  may  also  be  produced  in  a  long  level  line,  by  the  precip- 
itation of  vapor  in  the  form  of  fog  at  one  end,  while  the  air  remains 
clear  at  the  other ;  or  by  the  existence  of  a  storm  of  rain  or  snow  at 
any  point  along  the  line,  while  the  other  parts  of  the  wire  are  not  sub- 
jected to  the  same  influence. 

3.  The  natural  electricity  of  the  wire  of  the  telegraph  is  liable  to  be 
disturbed  by  the  ordinary  electric  induction  of  a  distant  cloud.     Al- 
though currents  produced  in  this  way  may  be  too  feeble  to  set  in  mo- 
tion the  marking  apparatus,  yet  they  may  have  sufficient  power  to 
influence  the  action  of  the  current  of  the  battery,  so  as  to  interfere  with 
the  perfect  operation  of  the  machine. 

4.  Powerful  electrical  currents  are  produced  in  the  wires  of  the  tele- 
graph by  every  flash  of  lightning  which  takes  place  within  many  miles 
of  the  line,  by  the  action  of  dynamic  induction ;  which  differs  (from 
ordinary  electrical  induction)  in  being  the  result  of  the  influence  of 
electricity  in  motion  on  the  natural  electricity  of  the  conductor.     The 
effect  of  this  induction,  which  is  the  most  fruitful  source  of  disturbance, 
Professor  Henry  illustrates  by  an  account  of  experiments  presented 
to  the  Society  in  1843. 

He  proposed  the  following  means  of  preventing  the  effects  of  pow- 
erful discharges  from  the  clouds  of  atmospheric  electricity,  viz.:  by 
erecting,  at  intervals,  along  the  lines,  and  aside  of  the  supporting  poles, 
a  metallic  wire,  connected  with  the  earth  at  the  lower  end,  and  termi- 
nating above  at  the  distance  of  about  half  an  inch  from  the  wire  of  the 
telegraph.  By  this  arrangement  he  considered  that  the  insulation  of 
the  conductor  would  not  be  interfered  with,  while  the  greater  portion 
of  the  charge  will  be  drawn  off. 

Prof.  Henry  considers  this  precaution  of  great  importance,  at  places 
where  the  line  crosses  a  river  and  is  supported  on  high  poles.  Though 
accidents  to  the  operators,  from  direct  discharge,  may  be  prevented  by 
the  method  he  proposes,  yet  the  effect  on  the  apparatus  cannot  be  en- 
tirely obviated ;  the  residual  current,  which  escapes  the  discharge  along 
the  perpendicular  wires,  must  neutralize  for  a  moment  the  current  of 
the  battery,  and  produce  irregularity  of  action  in  the  apparatus. 

To  obviate  this  dynamic  inductive  influence,  he  proposes  to  increase 
the  size  of  the  battery  (during  the  season  of  thunderstorms),  and  di- 
minish the  sensibility  of  the  magnet,  so  that  at  least  the  smaller 
induced  currents  may  not  be  felt  by  the  machine.  He  remarks,  that 
no  coating  that  can  be  put  upon  the  wire,  will  prevent  the  formation 
of  indu«ed  currents. 

He  also  considers  it  not  improbable,  since  the  earth  has  been  made 


184  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

to  act  the  part  of  the  return  conductor,  that  some  means  will  be  disco- 
vered for  insulating  the  single  wire  beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth ; 
the  difficulty  in  effecting  this  is  by  no  means  as  great  as  that  of  insu- 
lating two  wires,  and  preventing  the  current  striking  across  from  one 
to  the  other. 

A  wire  buried  in  the  earth  would  be  protected,  in  most  cases,  from 
the  effect  of  a  direct  discharge ;  but  the  inductive  influence  would  still 
be  exerted,  though  perhaps  in  a  less  degree. 

This  form  of  arrangement  of  Prof.  Henry's  has  not  been  found  to 
protect  effectually.  A  better  plan  is,  to  place  a  knob  of  metal  on  each 
wire  where  it  crosses  the  posts ;  a  second  and  lower  knob  is  then  placed 
close  to  the  first,  but  without  touching  it,  and,  connected  with  a  wire, 
led  down  to  moist  earth.  The  lightning  discharge  will  be  cut  off'  at 
the  first  knob,  and  then  leap  across  to  the  lower  knob,  and  thus  descend 
to  the  ground. 

Baumgartner,  in  March,  1848,  made  experiments  on  this  subject, 
which  fully  confirmed  those  previously  made  by  Prof.  Henry. 

At  a  period  at  which  there  was  not  the  slightest  appearance  of  the 
formation  of  a  thunderstorm,  he  fixed  to  the  conducting  wires  of  the 
electric  telegraph  which  extends  from  Vienna  to  Prague,  a  distance  of 
61  (German)  miles,  an  extremely  sensitive  multiplicator,  and  imme- 
diately perceived  from  the  deviation  of  the  magnetic  needle,  that  a  cur- 
rent of  electricity  was  passing  on  the  wire. 

In  order  to  study  these  phenomena  more  carefully,  a  Nobili  multipli- 
cator was  attached  to  the  conducting  wire  of  the  southern  telegraph 
line,  and  the  result  was,  that  the  magnetic  needle  of  the  multiplicator 
was  nearly  always  vibrating,  and  a  very  short  pause  of  rest  occurred. 

In  this  tract  (of  country)  there  is,  at  almost  all  times,  a  passing  of 
electricity  between  the  earth  and  the  atmosphere,  in  consequence  of 
which  an  electric  current  is  almost  constantly  passing  through  the  con- 
ducting wire,  which  (current)  is,  however,  generally  too  weak  to  set 
the  indicating  part  of  the  telegraphic  apparatus  in  motion.  On  the 
contrary,  if  there  is  a  large  quantity  of  electricity  in  the  air,  which  is 
generally  the  case  at  the  beginning  of  a  storm  of  hail  or  rain,  or  after 
several  hot  days  followed  by  a  sudden  change  of  temperature,  these 
atmospheric  currents  in  the  telegraph  wires  may  become  strong  enough 
to  move  the  index  on  the  dial.  "Often,"  remarks  Baumgartner,  "the 
magnetic  needle  begins  to  play,  and  it  seems  as  if  a  message  from  a 
distant  station  is  to  be  expected,  in  order  to  keep  ready  for  a  corre- 
spondence ;  however,  the  signs  have  no  signification,  change  irregularly, 
and  occur  mostly  only  in  one  direction ;  sometimes  the  needle  places 
itself  for  some  time  in  the  point  of  greatest  deviation.  Through  such 
influences  the  magnetism  of  the  needle  is  often  ruined,  and  its  pola- 
rity reversed,  so  that  it  is  necessary  to  change  it  and  magnetize  it 
anew  for  farther  service." 

In  consequence  of  the  many  accidents  which  have  happened  through 
the  influence  of  atmospheric  electricity  (which  my  want  of  space  will 
not  permit  me  even  to  catalogue),  every  means  has  been  tried  to  pre- 
vent these  injurious  results. 

Steinheil  established,  in  the  year  1846,  his  lightning  conductor,  as 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  185 

follows :  The  main  wire  was  extended  over  the  station  building,  in 
which  the  signalizing  apparatus  is  placed.  On  the  roof  of  the  build- 
ing the  wire  is  divided,  and  on  each  end  is  fastened  a  copper  plate  six 
inches  in  diameter.  The  part  of  the  wire  which  is  fastened  to  the 
plate,  stands  in  its  middle  perpendicular  to  it.  Between  the  two  plates 
is  placed  a  thin  silk  cloth,  so  that  the  plates  do  not  touch  when  in  con- 
tact. In  this  vertical  situation,  the  plates  are  fastened  through  insu- 
lated supporters  on  the  roof  of  the  house,  and  protected  from  rain  by 
a 'wooden  box. 

By  this  arrangement,  the  galvanic  stream  is  entirely  cut  off,  as  it 
finds  an  obstacle  in  the  insulating  piece  of  silk  between.  It  is  not  so 
with  atmospheric  electricity,  which,  with  little  effort,  can  break  through 
the  interval  between  the  plates. 

To  make  a  perfect  connection  with  the  signal  machine,  the  two  wires 
from  it  are  fastened  each  to  the  lower  corners  of  the  copper  plates  on 
the  roof. 

A  galvanic  current  can,  therefore,  pass  down  through  the  wire  to 
the  telegraph  in  the  interior  of  the  building,  and  through  the  other 
wire  pass  over  to  the  second  plate,  in  order  to  continue  on  through 
the  main  wire.  The  atmospheric  electricity,  however,  will  break 
through  the  small  obstacle  between  the  plates  rather  than  pass  out  of 
the  way,  through  a  thin  and  long  wire,  which  is  in  the  form  of  a  spiral 
in  the  signal  machine.  It  is  stated  that  since  the  introduction  of  this 
protector  there  has  not  been  observed  either  sparks  or  any  sounds  pro- 
duced by  the  atmospheric  electricity  on  the  coils  of  wire  or  on  the 
signal  machine,  even  with  the  most  vivid  flashes  of  lightning.  To 
prevent  the  consequences  of  a  discharge  of  atmospheric  electricity,  the 
French  electrician  Brequet,  in  March,  1847,  proposed  that,  when  the 
main  wire  was  about  15  or  18  feet  distant  from  the  telegraphic  station, 
he  would  employ  a  very  fine  wire  connected  with  the  telegraphic  ap- 
paratus of  the  station,  so  that,  in  case  of  an  electric  discharge,  it  might 
melt  the  wires  and  so  save  the  station. 

Professor  Meiszner  established  lightning  protectors  on  the  Bruns- 
wick State  Telegraphs,  which  are  considered  by  Dr.  Schellen  as  very 
effectual  for  the  protection  of  persons  and  apparatus  ;  the  main  wire 
coming  from  the  next  station  on  poles  insulated  by  porcelain  boxes 
until  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  building.  It  is  covered  by  gutta 
percha,  and  passes  through  pipes  under  the  ground,  and  through  the 
foundation  walls  of  the  established  telegraphic  room  ;  here  it  is  fast- 
ened to  a  copper  plate,  8  inches  long,  4  wide,  f  ths  of  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness, by  a  screw  in  the  usual  manner.  From  this  same  copper  plate 
extends  a  small  insulated  wire  to  the  telegraphic  apparatus,  and  through 
the  galvanic  battery  to  a  second  copper  plate,  and  from  this  screw  by 
a  stronger  insulated  wire  to  the  earth. 

The  two  copperplates  are  screwed  together,  but  insulated  by  pieces 
of  ivory  or  gutta  percha  one-eighth  of  a  line  in  thickness ;  the  copper- 
plates are  then  screwed  on  a  suitable  board,  insulated,  and  fastened  on 
the  wall  of  the  telegraphic  office.  The  two  thin  wires,  which  are 
covered  with  silk  and  twisted  together,  are  once  more  jointly  wrapped 


186  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

till  near  to  the  telegraphic  apparatus,  when  they  again  separate  and 
lead  to  the  fixed  cramps  of  the  apparatus. 

In  ordinary  telegraphing,  when  the  wires  are  only  charged  with  a 
very  moderate  galvanic  current,  it  passes  from  the  next  station  through 
the  main  wire  to  the  first  plate,  through  the  thin  wire  to  the  apparatus 
and  electro-magnet,  through  this  to  the  galvanic  battery,  and  the  second 
plate  over  this  by  the  stronger  insulated  wire  to  the  ground,  making 
a  perfect  circuit. 

But  as  soon  as  a  certain  quantity  of  atmospheric  electricity  has 
collected  upon  the  wire,  it  passes  along  to  the  first  plate,  and  prefers 
the  shortest  way  to  the  earth,  by  a  leap  over  to  the  second  plate,  rather 
than  pass  through  the  apparatus  which  offers  a  considerable  obstacle 
to  the  electric  stream  through  the  very  thin  and  long  wrapt  wires  of 
the  electro-magnets.  Professor  Meiszner  has  become  convinced,  from 
numerous  trials  of  this  form  of  lightning  protector,  that  he  has  found 
out  the  way  in  which  a  perfect  protection  for  the  telegraphic  apparatus 
is  insured.  His  purpose  is  to  make  two  such  lightning  protectors, 
made  two  or  three  feet  square,  of  zinc,  on  account  of  its  cheapness, 
connected  with  wires  covered  with  silk  one-tenth  of  a  line  in  thick- 
ness, to  the  apparatus  Fig.  63;  so  the  electricity,  if  it  does  not  go  over 

Fig.  63. 


at  the  first  lightning  protector,  from  the  plate  A  on  to  the  plate  B, 
will  go  to  the  second  pair  of  plates  from  A'  to  B',  and  thence  to  the 
ground;  or,  in  the  worst  cases,  it  will  burn  off  the  fine  twisted  wires 
between  the  two  pairs  of  plates,  leaving  the  apparatus  uninjured. 

With  such  arrangements,  it  will  be  possible  to  protect  the  telegraph 
officers  and  apparatus,  but  the  wire  conductor  itself  will  always  be 
liable  to  destruction.  According  to  the  experiments  made,  these  pro- 
tections are  not  only  required  with  the  conductors  which  are  above 
the  ground,  but  also  with  those  insulated  lines  by  gutta  percha, 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  ground,  as  this  is  done  on  the  Eoyal  Prus- 
sian States  Telegraph. 

The  arrangement  of  these  subterranean  conductors  is  analogous  to 
those  which  are  observed  in  the  experiment  of  the  Franklin  plate  and 
the  Leyden  jar.  The  earth  forms  the  one  surface,  the  wire  conductor 
the  other,  and  the  insulated  gutta  percha  the  glass.  With  the  known 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


187 


continual  fluctuation  of  the  electric  condition  of  the  earth  and  the 
atmosphere,  the  above  described  plate  conductors  are  of  great  import- 
ance in  the  subterranean  wires,  because  the  inside  and  outside  borders 
are  brought  through  the  neighborhood  of  the  plates  A  and  B,  so  near 
together  that  an  injurious  discharge  with  ordinary  electricity  is  im- 
possible. 

Having  devoted  considerable  space  to  the  means  employed  in  Ger- 
many, I  will  now  give  a  description  of  the  principal  forms  of  light- 
ning protectors  now  in  use.  On  the  telegraph  lines  in  the  United 
States  are  Bulkley's,  Carey's,  Barnes's  and  House's. 

Bulkley's  protector,  Fig.  64,  consists  of  two  brass  plates,  shaped  as 

Fig.  64. 


cf      d 


in  the  drawing,  upon  a  mahogany  block ;  one  of  these  (dd)  is  firmly 
screwed  to  the  block  by  means  of  the  screws  a  a,  which  also  serve  as 
binding  screws  (screw  cups),  and  by  means  of  them  the  main  wire 
passes  through  the  plate  d  d.  The  binding-screw  b  is  so  arranged 
that  it  binds  the  other  plate,  c  c,  to  the  block,  allows  it  to  move  to  and 
from  the  plate  d  d,  thus  bringing  the  point  or  edge  of  each  plate  in 
adjustable  proximity.  The  ground  wire  is  attached  to  the  binding- 
screw  b.  The  operation  of  this  arrangement  is  too  simple  to  need 
explanation. 

In  Carey's  protector,  Fig.  65,  the  ground-  wire  enters  at  g  and  corn- 


municates  with  the  plate  d  d]  the  upper  plate  b  b,  has  attached  to  its 
under  surface  a  strip  of  card  leather  c  c,  with  its  thousand  points  of 
fine  wire ;  this  upper  plate  is,  by  means  of  the  screws  a  a,  raised  or 
lowered  at  pleasure,  thus  bringing  these  points  more  or  less  near  the 
plate  d  d.  The  main  wire  passes  through  the  plate  b  b,  by  means  of 
the  screw  connections  and  its  supporting  pillars. 

Those  who  have  used  the  Carey  arrester  find  considerable  trouble 
in  keeping  it  properly  adjusted.  The  card  teeth  being  in  leather,  do 
not  remain  true,  and  hence  often  cause  trouble  with  the  working  of 


188  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

the  line.     This,  I  think,  might  be  obviated  by  using  a  plate  of  ivory 
instead  of  leather. 

Barnes's  arrester  consists  of  an  earthenware  flower-pot  filled  with 
water.  The  main  line  is  connected  with  a  fine  copper  wire,  which 
passes  through  the  water  and  the  opening  at  the  bottom  of  the  pot  to 
the  office  connections. 

This  arrangement,  simple  as  it  may  seem,  has  been  used  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  on  the  lines  South,  and  is  stated  to  protect  the  instru- 
ment from  injury,  the  water  dissipating  the  lightning  when  it  comes 
in  contact,  often  burning  the  copper  wire,  and  thus  preventing  con- 
tact with  the  telegraphic  instrument. 

.   The  House  arrester  (Fig.  66),  consists  of  an  ornamental  brass  stand- 
Fig.  66. 


>»*>« 


ard  fixed  to  a  block  of  hard  wood  on  the  left  of  the  standard  ;  the  line 
wire  is  connected  by  a  brass  screw.  This  standard  supports  (but  is 
insulated  from  it  by  means  of  paper  or  silk)  a  cube  of  brass  one  and 
a  half  inch  long,  and  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  having 
an  opening  through  its  whole  length,  through  which  passes  a  very 
fine  copper  wire  insulated  with  silk,  which  is  attached  to  the  top  of 
the  standard  by  another  screw ;  this  wire  supports  a  brass  ball  a  short 
distance  from  a  brass  cup  which  is  fixed  to  the  block  of  wood ;  another 
portion  of  the  same  wire  is  then  connected  with  the  office  wire  on  the 
right ;  a  wire  leading  to  the  ground  is  also  connected  with  the  brass 
cube. 

The  action  of  this  arrester  is  as  follows :  The  atmospheric  electri- 
city passing  along  the  main  wire  enters  the  brass  standard,  passing  by 
the  fine  wire  to  the  cube,  which  has  a  ground  wire  connected  with  it, 
and  may  thus  pass  into  the  earth,  as  the  ground  wire  is  connected 
in  all  the  telegraph  offices  in  our  large  cities  with  the  gas  and 
water  pipes ;  the  electricity  is  thus  dissipated  over  a  large  surface  of 
metal. 

When  the  atmospheric  electricity  is  sufficiently  powerful  to  injure 
the  helix  of  a  magnet,  it  will  burn  the  fine  wire  passing  to  the  cube,  and 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


189 


thence  pass  by  the  ground  Fig.  67. 

wire  to  the  earth,  letting 
the  small  brass  fall  into  the 
cup,  thus  breaking  the  con- 
nection with  the  instrument 
in  the  office  until  the  fine 
wire  is  replaced. 

These  are  used  in  nearly 
all  the  offices  of  the  House 
lines,  and  are  never  known 
to  fail. 

Another  form  of  light- 
ning  protector,  made  by 
Mr.  Norton,  of  New  York, 
and  called  by  him  the 
Iron-filing  Protector,  is 
seen  in  Fig.  67.  It  is  a 
cylindrical  brass  box  of  J 
ornamental  design,  with  a  / 
cover,  by  removing  which 
the  box  is  filled  with  iron- 
filings.  The  main  current 

passes  through  this  box  by  the  binding  screws  c  c  and  the  wire  w,  as 
in  the  lower  figure.  4 

This  wire  is  insulated  from  the  brass  box  by  ivory  washers  i  i,  and 
from  the  iron  filings  by  a  thin  film  of  tissue  paper.  The  ground  wire 
connects  with  the  brass  box,  and,  of  course,  with  the  iron  filings,  by 
means  of  the  screw  g. 

Mr.  Edward  Highton,  who  has  employed  this  form  of  lightning  pro- 
tector, namely,  iron  filings,  and  who  claims  it  as  his  suggestion,  makes 
the  following  remarks  in  regard  to  it  in  his  work  on  the  Electric  Tele- 
graph :  "  The  disastrous  effects  of  lightning  are  now  entirely  obviated 
by  the  following  plan  pursued  by  the  author,  which  is  as  follows  : — 

"A  portion  of  the  wire  circuit,  say  for  six  or  eight  inches,  is  enve- 
loped in  bibulous  paper  or  silk,  and  a  mass  of  metallic  filings  in  con- 
nection with  the  earth  is  made  to  surround  such  covering.  This 
arrangement  is  placed  on  each  side  of  a  telegraphic  instrument  at  a 
station.  When  a  flash  of  lightning  happens  to  be  intercepted  by  the 
wires  of  the  telegraph,  the  myriads  of  infinitesimal  fine  points  of  metal 
in  the  filings  surrounding  the  wire  at  a  station,  and  having  connection 
with  the  earth,  at  once  draw  off  nearly  the  whole  charge  of  lightning 
and  carry  it  safely  to  the  earth.  This  arrangement  at  once  prevents 
aiiy  damage  to  the  telegraphic  instrument ;  not  a  coil  under  the  author's 
charge  has  been  fused  where  this  plan  has  been  adopted.  The  cheapest 
method  is  as  follows :  Line  a  small  deal  box,  say  six  or  twelve  inches 
long,  with  tin  plate,  and  put  this  plate  in  connection  with  the  earth ; 
fill  this  box  with  iron  filings,  and  then  surround  the  wire  (before  it 
enters  a  telegraph  instrument)  with  bibulous  or  blotting-paper,  as  it 
runs  through  the  centre  of  the  box.  All  high-tension  electricity  col- 
lected by  the  wires,  will  at  once  dart  through  the  air  in  the  bibulous 


190 


THE  ELECTKO-MAGXETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Fig.  68. 


paper  to  the  myriads  of  points  in  the  iron  filings,  and  thence  direct  to 
the  earth,  and  thus  the  telegraph  instrument  will  be  rendered  inca- 
pable of  being  damaged  even  during  the  most  fearful  thunderstorms 
that  may  occur." 

The  objection  to  this  form  of  protector  is,  that  by  the  electric  dis- 
charge, the  blotting  paper  or  silk  will  be  destroyed.  I  would  there- 
fore propose  the  following  arrangement,  as  is  seen  in  Fig.  68,  which 

consists  of  an  ornamental  stand 
of  wood,  lined  inside  with  cop- 
per ;  passing  through  the  stand 
is  the  main  wire  W,  insulated  by 
a  coating  of  gutta  percha  and  by 
washers,  C  C,  of  the  same  mate- 
rial. The  ground  wire  Gr  should 
be  of  copper,  insulated  in  passing 
through  the  box,  of  an  inch  in 
diameter,  having  numerous  sharp 
points  in  the  interior  of  the 
stand.  It  should  be  near  to,  but 
not  in  contact  with  the  main 
wire,  so  as  not  to  conduct  any  of 
the  galvanic  current  away  from 
the  main  wire,  terminating  in  two 
or  more  branches  leading  under 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  and, 
if  possible,  to  moist  earth,  drains, 
or  springs  of  water.  Under  such 
an  arrangement,  a  discharge  of 
lightning  passing  along  the  sur- 
face of  a  wire  will  be  conducted 

to  the  earth  insensibly,  without  the  possibility  of  damage  to  the  office 
or  instrument.  The  following  is  a  description  of  the  protector  used 
on  several  of  the  lines  in  England  along  the  railroads  under  the  super- 
intendence of  Charles  V.  Walker,  Esq.,  Telegraphic  Engineer. 

"  This  consists  of  a  small  hollow  metal  cylinder  connected  with  the 
earth.  The  line  wire,  in  its  passage  from  the  railway  to  the  telegraph, 
passes  within  this  cylinder ;  traversing  which,  it  is  first  presented  to 
the  inner  surface  in  the  condition  of  a  thick  wire  furnished  with  spurs, 
whose  points  are  in  the  closest  possible  proximity  to  the  cylinder 
without  being  in  actual  contact ;  it  is  then  continued  on,  and  presented 
as  a  short  coil  of  very  fine  wire,  finer,  in  fact,  than  that  of  the  instru- 
ment coils  wound  on  a  bobbin,  the  outer  convolution  of  the  coil  being 
very  close  to  the  cylinder.  Thus,  a  better  means  of  escape  is  pre- 
sented to  the  lightning  than  is  to  be  found  in  any  part  of  the  instru- 
ment ;  consequently,  it  always  escapes  by  this  conductor,  either  by  the 
points  or  by  burning  the  fine  wire. 

"As  yet,  no  instance  has  occurred  in  which  these  conductors  have 
failed  to  act,  and  to  preserve  the  instrument,  while  instruments  in  the 
same  office  not  thus  protected  have,  on  several  occasions,  been  da- 
maged."— Report  of  Jury  of  the  Worlds  Fair  in  London. 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 


191 


Fig.  69. 


It  will  be  seen,  upon  a  careful  examination,  that  the  object  to  be 
attained  in  all  these  machines,  is  to  bring  a  number  of  metallic  points 
in  the  closest  proximity  to  the  main  wire,  so  as  to  connect  as  much 
as  possible  all  the  large  detached  masses  of  metal  in  the  office,  and 
unite  them  with  a  capacious  conductor,  leading  as  direct  as  possible 
to  the  moist  earth.  This  conductor  should,  of  course,  be  metallic,  and 
as  metals  vary  very  much  in  their  conducting  power,  and  copper  being 
one  of  the  best,  it  is  to  be  preferred. 

The  following  is  a  description  and  drawing  of  the  apparatus,  made 
by  Breguet  for  the  French  lines  of  telegraph,  in  1853,  to  prevent  the 
injurious  effects  of  atmospheric  electricity,  and  he  makes  the  following 
statement  in  regard  to  its  merits : — 

Since  the  introduction  of  this  simple  apparatus,  it  has  given  entire 
satisfaction,  there  being  no  longer  danger  to  the  operator  nor  to  the 
telegraphic  apparatus,  wherever  they  have  been  used,  he  having  made 
and  put  up  several  hundred. 

The  paratonnerre  consists  of  a  small  square  board,  Fig.  69,  on  which 
are  placed  two  buttons,  at  a  distance  of  six  to  seven  centimetres,  a  very 
fine  wire,  F,  connecting  them.      This  apparatus  is  in- 
serted in  the  wire  of  the  line,  so  that  on  whatever  side 
the  current  is  directed,  it  always  passes  in  by  the  para- 
tonnerre.    He  has   chosen    iron  wire,  its  conducting 
power  being  five  or  six  times  less  than  that  of  copper 
of  equal  diameter,  employing  wire  much  finer  than 
that  upon  the  bobbin  of  the  electro -magnetic  coil. 

It  will  thus  allow  only  a  certain  quantity  of  electri- 
city to  pass,  always  less  than  that  necessary  to  melt 
the  copper  wire  of  the  telegraph ;  but  if  the  quantity 
of  electricity  is  increased,  the  iron  wire  is  destroyed, 
but  the  telegraphic  instrument  is  saved. 

This  iron  wire  is  easily  replaced,  and  the  apparatus 
is  immediately  placed  in  its  original  state.     This  wire 
is  placed  in  a  glass  tube,  so  that  it  cannot  be  injured. 
At  each  extremity  of  the  glass  tube  are  two  copper 
mountings,  A  and  B,  to  which  the  wire  is  fastened,  and  which  es- 
tablishes its  metallic  connection  with  the  two  buttons ;  these  two  cop- 
per mountings  are  fastened  by  screws,  and  in  case  of  accident  it  is  only 
necessary  to  insert  a  new  tube. 

At  the  side  of  the  button  B  is  another,  T,  which  is  connected  with 
the  earth,  and  these  two  buttons  are  joined  with  toothed  plates  of 
copper,  of  which  the  points  are  very  close  to  each  other,  so  that  if  the 
wire  of  the  line  is  charged  with  atmospheric  electricity,  it  can  discharge 
itself  in  part  by  these  points  to  the  earth. 

As  far  as  regards  the  safety  of  the  telegraphic  operators,  he  recom- 
mends that  the  large  wire  should  never  enter  the  interior  of  the  tele- 
graphic station,  as  this  may  be  dangerous,  because  from  a  wire  three 
to  four  millimetres  of  section,  there  can  escape  sparks  to  a  great  dis- 
tance, capable  of  wounding  the  operator.  He  considers  it  absolutely 
necessary  to  stop  the  wire  outside,  and  only  to  establish  communica- 
tion with  the  telegraph  by  wire  of  small  diameter.  When  it  is  pos- 


192  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

sible,  it  is  better  to  stop  the  cord  from  one  to  two  metres  from  the 
station. 

"  H.  C.  Turner,  of  Cheraw,  South  Carolina,  has  taken  measures  to 
secure  a  patent  for  an  improvement  in  telegraph  apparatus  to  protect 
the  magnet  of  a  telegraph  instrument  from  being  destroyed  or  injured 
by  lightning,  as  well  as  to  enable  telegraphic  operators  to  continue  at 
work  during  the  prevalence  of  atmospheric  electricity,  which  often 
causes  great  trouble  and  delay  in  the  southern  latitudes. 

"  The  principle  of  improvement  consists  in  having  a  medium  con- 
nected with  the  ground  and  telegraph  line,  which  will  conduct  elec- 
tricity of  great  intensity,  but  not  that  of  low  intensity,  as  generated  by 
the  galvanic  battery,  thus  carrying  off  the  atmospheric  electricity 
without  interrupting  the  circuit.  He  employs  two  small  brass  cylin- 
ders, each  of  which  has  a  wire  running  from  a  connection  screw  at  the 
middle,  while  the  circuit  wire  runs  through.  Each  cylinder  is  sepa- 
rated at  each  end  by  a  piece  of  ivory,  or  other  non-conducting  sub- 
stance, and  the  only  communication  with  the  ground  is  obtained  by 
some  partial  conducting  substance,  such  as  ground  charcoal.  With 
this  each  cylinder  is  filled,  therefore  an  intense  electric  discharge  is 
carried  through  this  medium  to  the  ground,  and  the  magnet  is  pro- 
tected. The  invention  is  simple  and  new  to  us,  and  we  understand  it 
has  been  used  in  the  telegraph  office  at  Cheraw  for  two  months,  with 
complete  success.  It  is  constructed  on  scientific  principles." 

The  concluding  remarks  in  regard  to  this  form  of  lightning  pro- 
tector is  by  the  editor  of  the  National  Telegraphic  Review,  from  which 
journal  we  copied  the  notice.  Its  editor,  Mr.  Eeid,  is  a  skilful  tele- 
grapher, and  superintendent  of  the  Atlantic  and  Ohio,  and  the  Pitts- 
burg,  Cincinnati,  and  Louisville  Telegraph  lines.  An  opinion  given 
by  such  a  practical  man  should  therefore  be  very  valuable.  He  also 
adds  in  a  note  the  following  caution:  "In  all  applications  of  this 
character,  and  they  are  of  the  highest  importance,  great  care  must  be 
taken  to  keep  the  apparatus  or  fixtures  free  from  moisture  or  accessi- 
bility to  rain." 


ON  THE 


1 M  ?  0  S  T  AN  C  E 


TELEGRAPH  ON  RAILROADS. 


THE  recent  dreadful  accidents  which  have  occurred  upon  our  rail- 
roads, have  turned  the  attention  of  the  press  and  the  public  to  devise 
some  more  certain  method  by  which  information  can  be  conveyed 
along  the  lines  of  railroad,  so  as  to  prevent  this  awful  destruction  of 
life  and  property  which  has  taken  place  throughout  these  United 
States.  I  am  sorry  to  state  that,  within  the  last  eight  months,  from 
the  first  of  January,  1853,  these  have  been  as  follows :  Sixty -five  casual- 
ties, a  hundred  and  seventy-five  deaths,  and  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  persons  injured  on  railroads. 

The  subject  is  one  fraught  with  much  interest  to  all  who  travel;  and 
we  might  well  say,  Who  is  there  that  does  not  travel  ?  They  are  to  be 
numbered  by  millions.  In  the  State  of  New  York  alone,  during  the 
year  1852,  the  number  of  passengers  on  her  railroads  was  7,440,653, 
and  of  this  number,  228  were  killed,  being  one  in  286,179. 

In  Great  Britain,  the  telegraph  has  been  placed  along  almost  all  the 
railroads,  and  its  advantages  have  been  very  great,  for,  although  the 
speed  on  their  railroads  is  greater,  their  number  of  deaths  from  casual- 
ties is  less  than  that  of  the  State  of  New  York.  In  the  year  1852,  the 
whole  number  of  passengers  upon  the  railroads  of  Great  Britain  was 
89,135,729,  and  the  total  number  of  passengers  killed  was  216,  being 
only  1  in  2,785,491.  This  will  show  at  a  glance  the  great  inferiority 
of  New  York  railroad  management,  and  not  only  New  York,  but  the 
management  throughout  the  United  States  ;  for  most  of  the  railroads 
in  the  United  States  are  behind  New  York  in  this  very  matter. 

The  large  amount  of  money  spent  yearly,  for  the  loss  of  life  on  rail- 
roads, is  shown  by  the  following  statement :   The  New  York  and  New 
Haven  Kailroad  Company,  upon  whose  road  one  of  the  most  fearful 
accidents  occurred  this  season,  near  Norwalk,  paid  twenty-one  thousand 
13 


194  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

six  hundred  and  seventy -nine  dollars  last  year  for  personal  damages. 
This  year,  the  amount  is  likely  to  be  much  heavier,  in  consequence  of 
the  catastrophe  alluded  to,  and  others. 

I  am  happy  to  say,  that  upon  a  few  of  the  railroads  of  this  country, 
the  telegraph  has  been  introduced,  and  found  of  very  great  benefit  in 
facilitating  the  business  of  the  road  and  the  prevention  of  accidents, 
which  is  shown  by  the  small  number  of  casualties  upon  such  roads. 

"  It  has  been  introduced  upon  the  Madison  and  Indianapolis  Road, 
one  of  the  most  successful  railroads  in  the  United  States.  The  Presi- 
dent of  the  road,  the  Hon.  John  Brough,  speaks  of  the  telegraph  in  the 
highest  terms,  and  the  important  benefits  derived  from  it.  It  has  been 
introduced  upon  the  New  York  and  Erie  Road,  but  has  not  yet  been 
used  to  the  extent  that  it  could  and  should  be  used  along  this  line ; 
and  I  am  very  glad  to  find  that  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Road,  the 
Camden  and  Absecom  Road,  are  about  introducing  it  upon  their 
lines. 

The  actual  cost  of  building  first-rate  lines  of  telegraph,  with  the  best 
mode  of  insulation  and  protection  from  the  effects  of  atmospheric  elec- 
tricity, so  as  to  secure  durability,  would  not  cost  much  over  three 
hundred  dollars  a  mile ;  the  actual  cost  of  our  best  built  lines  now  in 
operation,  has  not  exceeded  two  hundred  dollars  a  mile.  Such  a  tele- 
graph, well  arranged,  will  return  to  a  railroad  company  sufficient  bene- 
fit in  the  safety  of  life  and  property,  to  counterbalance  the  whole  cost 
of  construction. 

Even  as  an  investment  it  has  paid  well  in  England,  where  capital  is 
abundant  and  interest  is  at  its  lowest  point ;  for  the  dividends  on  the 
South-eastern  Railroad  have  been  l-^,  3J  and  3|  per  cent,  per  annum, 
for  the  four  half  years,  ending  respectively  January  and  July,  1848 
and  1849,  after  all  expenses  of  working  and  maintenance  of  the  line 
were  paid. 

In  addition  to  this  statement  in  regard  to  the  dividends,  I  cannot  do 
better  than  quote  the  advantages  which  the  telegraph  has  conferred 
upon  the  railr6ad,  in  the  words  of  the  distinguished  Superintendent 
of  Electric  Telegraph  of  the  South-eastern  Railroad  Company,  Charles 
Y.  Walker,  Esq.,  who  is  well  known  as  an  accomplished  electrician 
and  telegraph  engineer. 

"  The  electric  telegraph  in  England  is  greatly  indebted  to  the  rail- 
roads, if  not  for  its  existence,  at  least  for  the  friendly  hand  they  have 
held  out  to  it,  and  for  the  protecting  care  with  which  they  have  guarded 
it;  indeed,  the  invention  would  long  have  remained  immatured  and 
void  of  practical  existence,  had  not  the  railroad  prepared  for  it  a  path- 
way from  place  to  place,  along  which  its  capabilities  could  be  tested. 
Nor  has  the  child  been  ungrateful  to  its  foster-father ;  it  has  made  a 
tenfold  return  for  all  the  protection  that  has  been  extended  to  it. 

"  The  quiet  poles  and  silent  wires,  the  zinc  and  the  vitriol,  the  brass, 
the  ivory,  the  earthenware,  and  the  gutta  percha,  are  far  more  con- 
cerned in  the  working  economy  of  a  railroad  than  the  proprietors  may 
suppose. 

"  As  an  illustration  of  the  amount  of  service  it  may  render  to  a  rail- 
road, take  the  telegraph  work  done  at  Tunbridge  station,  on  the  South- 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  195 

eastern  Railroad,  for  the  three  months  from  the  1st  August  to  the 
31st  October,  1848.  By  referring  to  the  message-book,  in  which  it  is 
the  rule  that  all  communications  shall  be  entered,  it  appears  that  up- 
wards of  four  thousand  messages  passed  in  that  interval,  which  I  have 
roughly  classified  as  follows : — 


1.  Concerning  ordinary  trains          .   -     .      •  Y 

Messages. 

1468 

2.             "         special  trains     

429 

3.                      carriages,  trucks,  goods,  sheets,  &c.    . 
4.             "         company's  officers 

795 
607 

5.                     engines 

150 

6.                      miscellaneous  matters 
7.  Messages  forwarded  to  other  stations 

162 
499 

Total,  4,110 

"  1.  To  make  a  full  analysis  of  these  seven  groups  of  messages  would 
be  tedious ;  the  reader  can  imagine  for  himself  that,  in  regard  to  trains, 
all  which  concerns  the  progress  and  safety  of  a  train  has  been  at  one 
time  or  other  the  theme  of  telegraph  signals,  and  that  from  the  time 
it  starts  until  it  reaches  its  journey's  end,  it  'casts  a  shadow  before,' 
yes,  many  miles  before,  to  notify  its  coming,  and  leaves  '  a  track  behind' 
as  distinct  and  as  palpable  to  the  mind's  eye,  as  if  the  eye  itself  were 
present  to  see  it.  Indeed,  this  is  so  realized,  that  we  are  in  the  common 
habit  of  saying  I  just  saw  the  train  pass  this  place  or  that,  when  all  we 
really  saw  was  the  telegraph  signal.  If  trains  are  late,  the  cause  is 
known ;  if  they  are  in  distress,  help  is  soon  at  hand ;  if  they  are  heavy, 
and  progress  but  slowly,  they  ask,  and  have  more  locomotive  power 
either  sent  to  them  or  prepared  against  their  arrival ;  if  there  is  any- 
thing unusual 'on  the  line,  they  are  forewarned  of  it,  and  so  forearmed; 
if  overdue,  the  old  plan  of  sending  an  engine  to  look  after  them  has 
become  obsolete ;  a  few  deflections  of  the  needle  obtain  all  the  infor- 
mation that  is  required. 

"  2.  Special  trains  are  nowhere  really  special,  unless  on  a  telegraph 
railroad.  My  idea  of  such  a  train  is,  that  it  can  be  had  for  the  asking, 
and  can  have  a  clear  course  before  it.  On  a  railroad  like  the  South- 
eastern, which  is  the  high-road  between  the  continent  and  the  capital 
of  the  British  empire,  couriers  may  arrive  from  abroad,  as  indeed  they 
do  at  all  hours,  and  without  any  previous  notice,  and  require  imme- 
diate means  of  reaching  London.  Should  the  Ondine  arrive  at  Folk- 
stone  bearing  dispatches  for  the  morning  papers,  full  of  eventful  news 
of  'wars,  and  rumors  of  war,'  of  tottering  thrones  and  falling  dia- 
dems, the  courier  need  not  care  at  having  just  missed  the  train,  nor 
fear  of  being  too  late  in  London  to  save  the  press  for  the  first  edition. 
If  he  finds  no  engine  at  Folkstone,  the  telegraph  will  soon  obtain  him 
one  from  where  there  is  one  to  spare,  and  not  only  so,  but  when  he 
starts  will  clear  the  road  before  him,  and  give  timely  notice  to  the 
train  in  advance  to  move  aside  and  let  hirn  pass.  Nor  need  the  tra- 
veller by  the  previous  train  have  any  fear,  as  otherwise  he  might,  on 
such  a  line  as  this,  that  some  ramping,  raging  engine,  conveying  a 


196  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

special  train,  shall  rush  upon  him  unawares,  with  destruction  and 
death  upon  its  wings.  The  guards  in  charge  of  his  train  are  well 
advised  by  telegraph  of  what  is  following  in  their  wake,  and  they 
know  the  time  and  place  to  move  aside,  and  let  the  coast  be  clear. 
Four  hundred  and  odd  signals  in  three  months  will  show  how  greatly 
the-  course  of  special  trains,  and  the  comfort  of  their  passengers,  must 
be  regulated  by  the  telegraph. 

"  3.  A  given  amount  of  work  is  accomplished  with  a  less  amount  of 
rolling-stock  on  a  well- worked  telegraph  railroad  than  elsewhere ;  and 
of  the  stock  that  is  employed,  there  is  much  less  unnecessary  wear 
and  tear  in  running  about  to  stations  where  it  is  not  wanted.  The 
money- value  of  this  use  of  the  telegraph  is  great.  It  is  of  daily  and 
almost  hourly  occurrence,  for  stations  in  unexpected  want  of  carriages 
and  trucks,  to  obtain  them  by  means  of  telegraph  notices  from  other 
stations  who  can  spare  them  ;  and  thus  the  surplus  stock  is  much  less 
than  it  must  otherwise  needs  be.  About  a  thousand  carriages  of 
various  kinds,  and  sheets  for  protecting  goods  trucks,  were  required 
by  telegraph  in  the  three  months  before  us. 

"  The  urgency  of  these  requests  sometimes  amounts  almost  to  the 
ludicrous.  To  some  small  station,  say  Headcorn,  an  unexpected  in- 
pouring  of  hops  arrives  from  the  neighboring  gardens ;  he  has  very 
few  trucks,  very  few  sheets,  he  has  just  sent  his  last  away;  the  heavens 
look  black  and  threatening — big  drops  begin  to  fall ;  his  warehouse 
and  his  tents  are  full.  He  makes  known  his  distress  to  Ashford  in 
vain;  to  Canterbury,  nearly  in  vain  ;  to  Tunbridge,  he  gets  some 
trucks,  perhaps,  but  no  tarpaulin  to  cover  them ;  to  the  goods  depart- 
ment, in  the  Kent  Road,  London,  whence  his  wants,  perhaps,  are  all 
supplied.  If,  again,  all  this  were  to  be  done  by  letter,  conveyed  by 
train,  the  opportunity  would  be  lost  or  the  mischief  would  be  done 
before  his  wants  could  be  supplied ;  for  the  letter  would  first  go  to 
head-quarters  at  London,  where  probably  would  be  kept  the  returns 
of  the  distribution  of  the  rolling-stock  on  the  morning  of  the  day  in 
question ;  the  officer  in  charge  would  know  at  what  station,  say  Can- 
terbury, there  appeared  in  the  morning  a  good  supply.  He  would 
write  by  the  next  train  to  Canterbury.  But  the  evening  would  by 
this  time  have  arrived,  or  the  stock  at  Canterbury  might  now  be 
engaged ;  or  if  they  could  be  spared,  there  might  be  no  ready  means 
of  forwarding  it. 

"  Besides  these  messages,  arising  out  of  the  daily  wants  of  rolling- 
stock,  there  is  the  plan  of  furnishing  the  chief  office  of  the  goods 
department  with  a  telegraph  report  every  morning,  from  all  stations, 
of  the  stock  at  that  time  at  each  station. 

"  4.  Six  hundred  and  odd  messages,  in  three  months,  of  communica- 
tions between  the  management  and  the  heads  of  departments,  and 
between  the  latter  and  their  subordinate  officers,  is  a  good  illustration 
of  the  comparative  ubiquity  the  telegraph  confers  upon  the  direction 
of  a  railroad.  The  hours  of  needless  delay  and  the  miles  of  profitless 
travelling  which  are  thus  saved  are  great ;  and  anxiety  of  every  kind 
is  mitigated.  No  small  amount  of  practical  confidence  is  created,  from 
the  fact  that  the  management  can  issue  instructions  to  meet  emergen-  . 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  197 

cies,  and  can  be  consulted  by  their  officers  from  all  parts  of  the  district 
in  any  time  of  need. 

"  5.  We  have  already  remarked  that  the  telegraph  communicates  the 
plight  of  distressed  trains  to  stations  provided  with  spare  locomotive 
power  ;  it  also  regulates  the  distribution  of  engines  when  any  mishap 
has  occurred  requiring  a  fresh  supply,  or  where  any  undue  call  has 
been  made  upon  the  ordinary  stock. 

"  But  the  actual  saving,  in  locomotive  power,  by  enabling  the  number 
of  pilot  engines  to  be  reduced,  is,  of  itself,  a  most  important  feature  in 
the  economy  of  the  electric  telegraph.  In  the  district  in  question 
there  are  certainly  two  stations,  if  not  three,  which  once  had  pilots, 
but  are  now  without ;  when  required,  engines  are  obtained  by  tele- 
graph. It  would  appear  that  on  a  part  of  the  line,  not  yet  provided 
with  the  telegraph,  a  pilot  might  be  superseded  if  the  telegraph  were 
there.  Now,  as  the  maintenance  and  wages  for  one  single  engine 
amounts  to  a  larger  sum,  weekly,  than  is  required  to  pay  our  whole 
staff  of  telegraph  clerks  and  the  mechanics  and  laborers  employed  in 
cleaning  and  repairing  the  instruments,  and  maintaining  the  integrity 
of  the  line  work,  if  only  one  engine  be  superseded,  we  have  a  notable 
set-off  in  favor  of  the  telegraph. 

"  6.  All  other  communications  have  been  classed  under  the  head  of 
Miscellaneous.  JSTo  matter  what  the  subject  or  when  the  hour,  the 
lightning  signal  is  obedient  to  orders.  Passing  over  the  black  leather 
bag  which  some  one,  every  day,  appears  to  leave  in  some  train,  pas- 
sengers have  recovered  luggage  of  a  most  miscellaneous  character,  by 
means  of  the  telegraph.  In  the  trains  have  been  left  a  pair  of  specta- 
cles and  a  pig ;  an"  umbrella  and  Laya-rcPs  Nineveh ;  a  purse  and  a 
barrel  of  oysters ;  a  greatcoat  and  a  baby  ;  and  boxes  and  trunks  et  id 
genus  omne  without  number. 

"  7.  We  appear  also  to  have  had  just  500  messages  to  transmit ; 
either  to  forward  on  in  due  course  to  the  smaller  groups,  or  to  help  on 
for  other  stations  in  times  of  bad  insulation,  or  of  other  distress.  When 
to  this  we  add  the  signals  passed  on  matters  essentially  connected  with 
the  working  of  the  telegraph  itself  and  its  maintenance ;  and  our  ex- 
periments upon  the  signals  and  testing,  we  have  no  lack  of  evidence 
of  the  great  capability  of  the  instruments,  and  that  they  are  by  no 
means  idle. 

"  In  The  Times  of  the  day  on  which  I  arn  writing,  is  an  illustration  of 
the  condition  to  which  a  train  may  be  reduced  when  unbefriended  by 
the  telegraph.  A  '  Constant  Keader'  has  been  spending  the  day  at  a 
popular  watering  place,  and,  in  common  with  many  more,  prolonged 
his  visit  until  the  'last  train.'  The  train  arrived,  and  when  all  were 
seated,  twenty-seven  carriages  were  filled.  The  engine  had  rattled  on 
joyously  before  this  large  addition  to  its  load  was  made,  but  now,  it 
commenced  panting  onward  with  deep  asthmatic  laborings.  '  We  pro- 
ceeded,' writes  our  friend,  'at  a  snail's  pace,  stopping,  as  usual  at  the 
various  stations,  until  we  reached  the  centre  of  a  long  tunnel,  where 
we  were  entirely  brought  to  a  stand,  and  remained  almost  suffocated 
by  steam  and  smoke  for  thirty-five  minutes,  amidst  the  screams  of  the 
women  in  the  second  and  third  class  carriages,  who  were  in  total  dark- 


198  THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

ness,  and  sharing  with  us  the  fear  of  the  next  train,  which  was  consider- 
ably overdue,  crushing  us.'  *  *  *  *  No  very  pleasant  predi- 
cament, assuredly  !  and  he  very  reasonably  asks,  in  continuation,  '  if 
the  train  was  too  long  for  one  engine,  why  not  have  had  two  ?'  Aye, 
tbere  was  the  rub.  But  there  was  no  getting  another  then  and  there. 

"  The  driver  may  have  seen  that  the  great  influx  of  passengers  was 
as  much  as  his  engine  was  equal  to,  but  he  had  no  help  for  it,  he  must 
either  do  his  best,  or  leave  some  of  the  passengers  behind ;  there  was 
no  telegraph  to  call  for  help. 

"  As  a  contrast  to  this,  the  very  next  day,  one  of  the  charitable  insti- 
tutions in  London  gave  the  children  a  trip  to  Tunbridge  Wells,  and 
they  filled  a  long  special  train.  The  engine  which  brought  them  from 
London  was  not  able,  of  itself,  to  take  them  up  the  incline  where  the 
branch  leaves  the  main  line  at  Tunbridge ;  and  the  pilot  engine  was 
absent  on  another  equally  pressing  engagement. 

"  Quick  as  thought,  the  Tunbridge  Wells  engine  was  ordered  by  tele- 
graph to  come  and  help,  and  it  was  ready  at  the  junction  even  before 
the  train  that  required  it. 

"  On  New  Year's  day,  1850,  a  catastrophe,  which  it  is  fearful  to  con- 
template, was  averted  by  the  aid  of  the  telegraph.  A  collision  had 
occurred  to  an  empty  train  at  Gravesend,  and  the  driver  having  leaped 
from  his  engine,  the  latter  started  alone  at  full  speed  to  London.  No- 
tice was  immediately  given  by  telegraph  to  London  and  other  stations; 
and  while  the  line  was  kept  clear,  an  engine  and  other  arrangements 
were  prepared  as  a  buttress  to  receive  the  runaway.  The  superin- 
tendent of  the  railroad  also  started  down  the  line  on  an  engine  ;  and  on 
passing  the  runaway,  he  reversed  his  engine  and  had  it  transferred  at 
the  next  crossing  to  the  up  line,  so  as  to  be  in  the  rear  of  the  fugitive ; 
he  then  started  in  chase,  and,  on  overtaking  the  other,  he  ran  into  it  at 
speed,  and  the  driver  of  his  engine  took  possession  of  the  fugitive,  and 
all  danger  was  at  an  end.  Twelve  stations  were  passed  in  safety ;  it 
passed  Woolwich  at  fifteen  miles  an  hour ;  it  was  within  a  couple  of 
miles  of  London  before  it  was  arrested.  Had  its  approach  been  un- 
known, the  mere  money  value  of  the  damage  it  would  have  caused, 
might  have  equalled  the  cost  of  the  whole  line  of  telegraphs.  They 
have  thus  paid,  or  in  a  large  part  paid  for  their  erection. 

"  As  a  contrast  to  this,  an  engine,  some  months  previously,  started 
from  New  Cross  towards  London.  The  Brighton  company  have  no 
telegraphs ;  and  its  approach  could  not  be  made  known.  Providen- 
tially, the  arrival  platform  was  clear :  it  ran  in,  carrying  the  fixed 
buffer  before  it,  and  knocking  down,  with  frightful  violence,  the  wall 
of  the  package  office." 

While  I  write,  August  1853,  a  most  frightful  accident  has  occurred 
on  the  Camden  and  Amboy  Railroad,  by  the  collision  of  two  trains,  by 
which  four  or  five  valuable  lives  have  been  lost,  and  the  maiming  and 
bruising  of  some  twenty  others,  and  the  destruction  of  property  to  an 
immense  amount.  At  a  meeting  of  the  passengers,  some  two  hundred 
in  number,  several  resolutions  were  passed  in  regard  to  the  bad  ar- 
rangement of  the  company,  and  the  following  one  in  regard  to  the  use 
of  the  telegraph  upon  this  line  : — 


THE  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH.  199 

"Resolved,  That  the  use  of  a  telegraph  (so  indispensable  upon  a  sin- 
gle track  road),  might  have  prevented  this  sad  catastrophe." 

If  a  telegraph  line  would  do  nothing  more  than  this  for  a  company, 
they  would  be  well  repaid  for  the  outlay.  In  conclusion,  I  would 
therefore  press  the  important  subject  upon  the  attention  of  all  interested 
in  railroads,  as  a  matter  of  vital  importance  to  their  interest,  and  to  the 
interests  of  the  community  at  large. 


APPENDIX. 


INTERESTING  AND  IMPORTANT  TELEGRAPH  DECISIONS. 

THE  trial  in  this  important  and  interesting  case  occurred  in  our  city 
in  September,  1851,  involving  important  questions  relative  to  the 
originality  of  the  inventions  claimed  by  Prof.  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse. 
The  plaintiffs,  who  represent  the  Magnetic  Telegraph  Company  using 
Morse's  patents,  allege  that  the  defendants,  who  represent  the  "  Bain 
Line"  from  Washington  to  New  York,  have  violated  the  patents 
granted  to  Morse. 

The  following  were  the  counsel  engaged  on  both  sides : — 

For  Plaintiffs — Hon.  Amos  Kendall,  of  Washington,  St.  George  T. 
Campbell,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia,  George  Gifford,  Esq.,  of  New  York, 
and  George  Harding,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia. 

For  Defendants — Hon.  William  M.  Meredith,  of  Philadelphia,  Peter 
M'Call,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia,  and  Hon.  E.  H.  Gillette,  Esq.,  of  Wash- 
ington. 

The  Judges  on  the  bench  were  Hon.  K.  C.  Grier  and  Hon.  J.  K. 
Kane. 

On  the  3d  of  November,  Judge  Kane  delivered  the  opinion  of  the 
Court,  Judge  Grier  expressing  his  concurrence  therein. 

OPINION  OF  THE  COURT. — This  case  is  before  us  on  final  hearing 
upon  the  pleadings  and  proofs. 

Professor  Morse,  under  whom  the  complainants  hold,  has  three 
patents :  the  first,  dated  20th  June,  1840,  reissued  after  surrender  on 
the  25th  January,  1846,  and  again  reissued  after  a  second  surrender 
on  the  13th  June,  1848,  which  has  been  referred  to  in  the  argument  as 
the  Magnetic  Telegraph  Patent;  the  second,  dated  llth  April,  1846, 
also  reissued  on  the  13th  June,  1848,  referred  to  as  the  Local  Circuit 
Patent ;  the  third,  dated  1st  May,  1849,  referred  to  as  the  Chemical 
Patent.  The  bill  charges  that  the  respondents  have  infringed  all 
three  of  these  patents ;  the  answer  denies  the  infringements,  and  con- 
troverts the  validity  of  the  patents. 

I.  The  objections  to  the  validity  of  the  first  patent,  that  for  the 
Magnetic  Telegraph,  are  stated  in  the  defendants'  brief  as  follows : — 

"I.  That  it  does  not  run  from  the  date  of  Morse's  French  patent. 

"  II.  That  the  Commissioner  of  Patents  had  no  authority  in  law  to 
reissue  a  second  time. 


202  APPENDIX. 

"III.  That  the  claims  set  out  in  the  first  reissue  are  broader  than 
the  claims  in  the  original  patent ;  and  the  claims  in  the  second  reissue 
are  broader  than  those  of  either  of  its  predecessors,  and  are  not  for  the 
same  invention." 

1.  The  first  of  these  objections  founds  itself  upon  the  fact,  that  Mr. 
Morse  had  obtained  a  patent  in  France  for  this  same  invention  twenty- 
two  months  before  his  patent  issued  here ;  and  it  asserts,  that  under 
the  second  proviso  of  the  6th  Section  of  the  Act  of  1839,  his  American 
patent  should  in  consequence  have  been  limited  to  the  term  of  fourteen 
years  from  the  date  of  the  French  patent ;  and  that  not  having  been  so 
limited,  it  is  void. 

This  objection  was  fully  met  in  the  argument  of  the  complainants. 
Mr.  Morse's  application  for  a  patent  in  this  country  was  made  in  April, 
1838,  and  was  filed  and  acted  on  in  the  Patent  Office  before  the  10th 
of  that  month;  his  French  patent  bears  date  the  18th  of  August  fol- 
lowing. There  is  therefore  no  room  for  the  questions,  which  were 
argued  so  elaborately,  of  the  proper  interpretation  of  this  proviso  in 
the  6th  Section  of  the  Act  of  1839,  and  the  8th  Section,  second  clause, 
of  the  Act  of  1836,  which  was  also  invoked,  in  any  possible  bearing 
upon  the  case  of  Mr.  Morse.  The  proviso  of  1839  must  be  interpreted 
by  reference  to  the  enacting  words  of  the  section  which  it  limits ;  and 
the  provisions  of  both  the  sections  relate  only  to  such  patents  as  are 
applied  for  here,  after  the  issue  of  a  foreign  patent.  But  Mr.  Morse's 
application  here  was  before  his  patent  abroad — in  nowise  after  it — and 
his  American  patent  was  granted,  therefore,  under  the  general  enact-, 
ments  of  the  Act  of  1836,  not  under  any  special  proviso  or  exception 
whatever ;  and  its  term  runs  properly  from  its  date. 

We  do  not  see  the  justice  of  the  criticisms  upon  his  application,  that 
the  jurat  affixed  to  it  is  without  date  of  day  or  month ;  and  that  the 
drawings  which  accompanied  it  were  not  in  duplicate.  There  is  no 
act  that  requires  the  jurat  to  be  dated  at  all;  and  the  supplementary 
provision  of  the  6th  Section  of  the  Act  of  1837,  that  "  the  applicant 
shall  be  held  to  furnish  duplicate  drawings,"  though  directory  in  its 
terms,  is  not  a  condition ;  and  it  has  obvious  reference  in  point  of  time 
to  the  issuing  of  the  patent,  and  not  to  the  filing  of  the  petition  for  it. 
Such  has  heretofore  been  the  interpretation  of  the  Patent  Office,  an- 
nounced in  the  official  circulars  for  the  instruction  and  guidance  of  in 
ventors ;  the  practice  founded  on  it  is  both  reasonable  and  convenient ; 
and  no  act  of  Congress  appears  to  conflict  with  it.  If  Mr.  Morse's 
patent  is  invalid  on  this  ground,  more  than  half  the  modern  patents 
for  mechanical  inventions  must  probably  fall  with  it. 

2.  The  second  objection  to  the  patent  is,  that  the  Act  of  Congress 
makes  no  provision  for  a  second  surrender  and  reissue. 

The  13th  Section  of  the  Act  of  1836,  which  provides  in  certain  cases 
for  the  surrender  of  a  defective  patent,  and  its  reissue  in  an  amended 
form,  regards  the  new  patent  as  substituted  for  the  old  one,  with  just 
the  "  same  effect  and  operation  in  law"  as  if  the  specification  had  been 
filed  at  first  in  the  form  which  it  takes  in  the  reissue.  It  is  difficult 
to  see  why,  if  the  original  patent  could  be  amended,  its  substitute, 


APPENDIX.  203 

having  all  the  legal  attributes  of  the  original,  cannot  be  amended 
also. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  words  of  the  act,  or  in  the  policy  which  it 
proclaims,  that  limits  the  correction  of  errors  to  such  as  may  have  been 
the  first  discovered.  On  the  contrary,  if  it  be  true,  as  we  have  sup- 
posed in  determining  the  recent  case  of  Battin  vs.  Taggert,  that  the 
patent  is  granted  to  the  inventor  in  consideration  of  some  benefit  to 
be  derived  by  the  public  from  his  disclosures,  and  that  the  reissue  is 
in  consideration  of  some  more  full  or  more  accurate  disclosure  than 
that  which  he  had  made  in  his  original  specification,  or  some  renuncia- 
tion on  his  part  of  an  apparently  secured  right — it  is  for  the  public 
interest,  that  the  surrender  and  reissue  should  be  allowed  to  follow 
each  other,  just  as  often  as  the  patentee  is  content  to  be  more  specific 
or  more  modest  in  his  claims. 

Besides,  it  might  not  be  safe  to  assume  too  readily  that  the  act  was 
intended  to  withdraw  altogether  from  the  officers  of  the  executive  de- 
partment the  power,  which  they  had  before,  to  accept  a  surrender  and 
grant  a  reissue,  and  which  would  sanction  a  second  reissue  quite  as 
readily  as  at  first.  The  act  might  perhaps  be  regarded  more  justly  as 
affirming  the  propriety  of  the  usage  which  had  obtained  under  the 
former  laws,  and  had  been  repeatedly  recognized  by  the  courts  (Mor- 
ris vs.  Hunting-ton,  1  Pain.  355-6 ;  Grant  vs.  Eaymond,  6  Pet.  220 ; 
Shaw  vs.  Cooper,  7  Pet.  315),  and  as  prescribing  in  addition  the  con- 
ditions and  incidents  which  should  attach  to  it  thereafter  in  certain 
cases.  It  is  hardly  to  be  supposed  that  the  merely  clerical  error  of  an 
engrossing  subordinate,  or  the  accidental  inadvertence  of  the  Commis- 
sioner himself,  is  not  capable  of  being  rectified  or  supplied  now,  just 
as  it  was  before  the  passage  of  the  act.  And  yet  the  construction, 
which  regards  this  section  as  superseding  the  implied  power  of  the 
Commissioner,  might  lead  to  this,  since  the  act  makes  no  provision  for 
correcting  such  mistakes  on  the  part  of  the  patent  officers. 

Still  further:  it  must,  as  we  think,  be  conceded,  that  if  the  Commis- 
sioner's power  to  reissue  is  so  restricted  by  the  act  as  to  be  exhausted 
by  a  single  exercise,  his  power  to  accept  the  surrender  must  be  equally 
restricted  and  equally  transitory.  And  the  argument  then  resolves 
itself  only  into  another  form  of  the  question,  whether  the  patent  was 
for  any  purpose  a  valid  one  as  it  stood  after  the  first  reissue ;  because, 
if  the  second  reissue  was  invalid  for  want  of  authority  to  make  it,  the 
second  surrender  was  ineffective  for  want  of  authority  to  accept  it — 
and  so  the  patent  stands  as  if  it  had  not  been  surrendered  the  second 
time.  The  surrender  and  the  reissue,  no  matter  how  often  they  recur, 
are  reciprocal — each  in  consideration  of  the  other — and  forming  to- 
gether but  a  single  act  between  the  parties.  It  would  be  uncon- 
scientious  to  retain  the  consideration,  while  denying  the  validity  of 
the  grant.  See  Woodworth  vs.  Hall,  1  Wood  C.  &  M.  400. 

3.  We  pass  to  the  third  objection,  the  supposed  variance  in  the 
reissues. 

From  the  course  of  some  parts  of  the  argument  on  this  point,  it 
might  be  inferred  that  the  objects  as  well  as  the  import  of  the  13th 
Section  of  the  Act  of  1836  had  been  misapprehended  by  the  learned 


204  APPENDIX. 

counsel  for  the  respondents.  It  is  not  the  meaning  of  the  law,  that 
the  patentee  who  applies  for  a  reissue,  must  at  his  peril  describe  and 
claim  in  his  new  specification,  either  in  words  or  idea,  just  what  was 
described  and  claimed  in  his  old  one.  His  new  specification  must  be 
•of  the  same  invention,  and  his  claim  cannot  embrace  a  different  subject- 
matter  from  that  which  he  sought  to  patent  originally.  But,  unless 
we  narrow  down  the  correction  which  the  statute  contemplates,  till  it 
becomes  a  mere  disclaimer,  it  is  not  possible  in  any  case  to  frame  a 
corrected  specification,  which  shall  not  be  broader  than  the  one 
originally  filed.  To  supply  a  defect,  to  repair  an  insufficiency,  is  to 
add — either  directly  or  by  modifying  or  striking  out  a  limitation;  in 
either  form,  the  effect  is  to  amplify  the  proposition ;  in  the  case  of  a 
specification  nnder  the  patent  laws,  it  is  to  amplify  the  description  and 
enlarge  the  claim. 

There  are  few  things  more  difficult,  even  for  well  educated  and  prac- 
tised lawyers,  than  to  describe  a  new  invention  clearly,  and  point  out 
the  principle  which  distinguishes  the  subject  of  it  from  all  things 
known  before ;  and  as  inventors  are  rarely  experts  either  in  philology 
or  law,  it  has  long  been  established  as  a  rule,  that  their  writings  are 
to  be  scanned  with  a  good  degree  of  charity.  But  it  is  easy  to  abuse 
this  liberality  to  the  purposes  of  fraud.  The  public  has  rights  to  be 
guarded  also ;  and  these  exact,  that  the  patentee's  specification  shall 
set  forth  his  invention  so  fully  and  definitely  that  it  cannot  be  readily 
misunderstood. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  the  statute  to  reconcile  this  seeming  conflict ; 
and  it  effects  it  by  allowing  the  inventor  to  amend  the  mistakes  he  has 
honestly  fallen  into  in  his  description  and  claim  of  title,  as  soon  and 
as  often  as  he  discovers  them.  And  there  is  the  more  reason  for  this 
indulgence,  since,  under  the  Act  of  1836,  Sec.  7,  the  specification  is  re- 
viewed by  the  Commissioner  before  the  patent  issues,  and  is  very 
often  modified  in  accordance  with  his  suggestions,  or  to  obviate  objec- 
tions made  by  him  to  its  original  form.  He  may  be  supposed  to 
know,  therefore,  better  than  any  one  else  but  the  patentee  himself, 
what  the  invention  was  for  which  the  patent  was  sought  at  first,  and 
he  may  also  know  whose  inadvertence,  accident,  or  mistake  it  was, 
that  made  the  first  specification  inoperative,  or  invalid.  It  is  not  ab- 
solutely impossible  that  it  may  have  been  his  own :  as  certainly  it 
had  his  implied  concurrence. 

And  this  consideration  furnishes  a  strong  argument  for  the  rule, 
that  the  Commissioner's  action  in  ordinary  cases  of  reissue  shall  have 
more  than  a  prima  facie  influence  in  finally  deciding  the  question  of 
identity  of  invention.  Whatever  be  the  extent  of  that  rule ;  whether 
it  leaves  nothing  open  for  discussion  before  the  court,  but  the  issue 
of  fraud,  as  appears  to  have  been  the  undivided  opinion  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  the  case  of  Stimpson,  4  How.  404 ;  or  whether  we  permit 
ourselves  to  except  from  it,  as  we  did  in  Battin  vs.  Taggert,  cases  in 
which  the  invention  claimed  in  the  reissued  patent  is  obviously 
different  from  that  claimed  in  the  original ;  or  whether,  with  Judge 
Story  in  Allen  vs.  Blunt,  3  Stor.  740,  and  in  "Wood worth  vs.  Stone, 
ibid.  749,  we  hold  the  grant  of  the  amended  patent  to  be  "  conclusive 


APPENDIX.  205 

> 

as  to  the  existence  of  all  the  facts  which  by  law  are  necessary  to 
entitle  the  Commissioner  to  issue  it,  at  least  unless  it  is  apparent  on 
the  face  of  the  instrument  itself,  without  any  auxiliary  evidence,  that 
he  was  guilty  of  an  excess  of  authority,  or  that  the  patent  was  pro- 
cured by  a  fraud  between  him  and  the  patentee ;"  whatever  be  the 
rule,  or  its  limitations,  the  propriety  of  the  reissue  in  the  case  before 
us  can  hardly  claim  a  judicial  review.  There  is  no  want  of  jurisdic-, 
tion,  either  apparent  on  the  face  of  the  proceedings  or  asserted  by  the 
evidence  ;  and  there  is  no  fraud  imputed,  or  justly  imputable. 

Nor  is  there  any  flagrant  diversity  of  claim.  After  a  repeated  and 
careful  examination  of  the  three  specifications,  with  their  respective 
claims,  fully  aided  by  the  acumen  of  highly  ingenious  counsel,  we  have 
not  found  a  material  difference  of  import  between  any  of  them.  The 
order  in  which  the  subjects  of  claim  are  marshalled  is  not  the  same 
throughout ;  a  phrase  is  more  concise  in  one,  in  another  more  popular  ; 
in  one  a  scientific  term,  or  a  general  expression,  takes  the  place  of  the 
descriptive  or  defining  language,  or  the  detailed  particulars  of  another ; 
in  a  word,  they  are  unequal  as  specimens  of  artistic  writing,  and  a 
close  examination  may  detect  defects  in  the  first  two,  which  are  re- 
paired in  the  last.  But  they  all  describe  the  same  thing  essentially ; 
and  we  should  find  it  easier  to  argue,  that  neither  the  first  nor  the 
second  specification  could  be  rightfully  regarded  as  "  inoperative  or 
invalid"  for  want  of  precision  and  clearness,  than  that  there  was  an 
important  variance  in  the  second  from  the  first,  or  in  the  third  from 
either. 

These  observations  form  the  answer  to  the  third  objection. 
Mr.  Morse's  patent  of  1840,  in  all  its  changes,  asserts  his  title  to 
two  distinct  patentable  subjects;  the  first,  founded  on  the  discovery  of 
a  new  art ;  the  second,  on  the  invention  of  the  means  of  practising  it. 
1.  That  he  was  the  first  to  devise  and  practise  the  art  of  recording 
language  at  telegraphic  distances,  by  the  dynamic  force  of  the  electro- 
magnet, or,  indeed,  by  any  agency  whatever,  is,  to  our  minds,  plain 
upon  all  the  evidence.  It  is  unnecessary  to  review  the  testimony  for 
the  purpose  of  showing  this.  His  application  for  a  patent,  in  April, 
1838,  was  preceded  by  a  series  of  experiments,  results,  illustrations, 
and  proofs  of  final  success,  which  leave  no  doubt  whatever  but  that 
his  great  invention  was  consummated  before  the  early  spring  of  1837. 
There  is  no  one  person,  whose  invention  has  been  spoken  of  by  any 
witness  or  referred  to  in  any  book,  as  involving  the  principle  of  Mr. 
Morse's  discovery,  but  must  yield  precedence  of  date  to  this.  Neither 
Stein  heil,  nor  Cooke  and  Wheatstone,  nor  Davy,  nor  Dyar,  nor  Henry, 
had  at  this  time  made  a  recording  telegraph  of  any  sort.  The  devices 
then  known  were  merely  semaphores,  that  spoke  to  the  eye  for  the 
moment — bearing  about  the  same  relation  to  the  great  discovery  now 
before  us  as  the  Abbe  Sicard's  invention  of  a  visual  alphabet  for  the 
purposes  of  conversation  bore  to  the  art  of  printing  with  movable 
types.  Mr.  Dyar's  had  no  recording  apparatus,  as  he  expressly  tells 
us ;  and  Professor  Henry  had  contented  himself  with  the  abundant 
honors  of  his  laboratory  and  lecture-rooms. 

When,  therefore,  Mr.  Morse  claimed,  in  his  first  specification,  "  the 


206  APPENDIX. 

V 

application  of  electro-magnets"  "  for  transmitting,  by  signs  and  sounds, 
intelligence  between  distant  points,"  and  "  the  mode  and  process  of  re- 
cording or  making  permanently  signs  of  intelligence  transmitted  be- 
tween distant  points ;"  and  when  in  his  second  specification  he  claimed 
"  the  making  use  of  the  motive  power  of  magnetism,  when  developed 
by  the  action  of  currents  of  electricity,  as  a  means  of  operating  and 
giving  motion  to  machinery,  which  may  be  used  to  imprint  signals 
upon  paper  or  other  suitable  material,"  "for  the  purpose  of  telegraphic 
communication  ;"  characterizing  his  "  invention  as  the  first  recording 
or  printing  telegraph  by  means  of  electro-magnetism ;"  and  when,  in 
his  third,  after  again  describing  his  machinery  and  process,  he  once 
more  characterized  it  in  the  same  terms,  and  claimed  "  as  the  essence 
of  his  invention  the  use  of  the  motive  power  of  the  electric  or  galvanic 
current  (electro-magnetism  as  he  now  terms  it),  however  developed, 
for  marking  or  printing  intelligible  characters,  signs  of  letters  at  any 
distance ;"  through  these  several  forms  of  specification,  claiming  and 
renewing  his  claim  of  property  in  the  same  invention,  as  it  seems  to 
us — and  claiming  in  each  and  all  of  them  no  more,  as  it  also  seems  to 
us,  than  he  was  justly  entitled  to  claim — he  declared  the  existence 
of  a  new  Art,  asserted  his  right  in  it  as  its  inventor  and  owner,  and, 
announcing  fully  its  nature  and  elements,  invoked  in  return  the  con- 
tracted protection  of  the  laws. 

From  this  time,  his  title  was  vested  as  patentee  of  the  art,  and 
other  men  became  competitors  with  him  only  in  the  work  of  diversify- 
ing and  perfecting  his  details.  He  himself  used  the  stylus  to  impress 
paper  or  parchment,  or  wax-coated  tablets,  it  may  be;  though  he 
sometimes  made  a  colored  record  by  the  friction  of  a  pencil ;  another 
substitutes  a  liquid  pigment,  or  stains  his  paper  with  a  chemical  ink ; 
the  next  perhaps  stains  his  paper  beforehand,  and  writes  on  it  by 
decomposing  the  coloring  matter ;  and  another,  yet  more  studious  of 
originality  than  the  rest,  writes  in  a  cyclo volute,  instead  of  a  straight 
line,  and  manufactures  his  ink  as  he  goes  along,  by  decomposing  the 
tip  of  his  stylus  on  a  chemically  moistened  paper.  They  are  no  doubt 
all  of  them  inventors ;  as  was  the  man  who  first  cast  types  in  a  mould, 
or  first  bent  metal  into  the  practical  semblance  of  the  gray  goose-quill, 
or  first  devised  sympathetic  ink,  that  the  curious  in  letter  writing 
might  veil  their  secrets  from  the  profane.  All  these  toiled  ingeniously 
and  well,  to  advance  and  embellish  a  pre-existing  art.  But  they  had  no 
share  in  the  discovery  of  the  art  itself,  and  can  no  more  claim  to  share 
the  property  which  its  discovery  may  have  conferred  on  another,  than 
he  who  has  devised  some  appropriate  setting  for  a  gem  can  assert  an 
interest  in  the  gem  itself. 

Yet  admitting,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that  Mr.  Morse's  leading 
invention  is  correctly  designated  as  a  new  art ;  and  that  he  has  sought 
to  patent  it  accordingly,  by  a  compliance  with  all  the  requisitions  of 
the  statute — it  is  still  contended,  and  with  much  of  elegant  research 
into  the  radical  meaning  of  the  term,  that  an  art,  as  such,  cannot  be 
made  the  subject  of  a  patent.  But  interpreting  language  as  men  use 
it  around  us  and  as  it  reflects  ideas,  the  question  can  hardly  be  re- 
garded as  doubtful.  The  constitutional  provision,  under  which  our 


APPENDIX.  207 

patent  laws  are  framed,  looks  to  the  promotion  of  "  useful  arts."  The 
act  of  Congress  places  "  a  new  and  useful  art"  among  the  discoveries 
it  professes  to  protect,  and  assigns  to  it  the  first  place  on  the  list. 
The  statute  of  21  James  I.  c.  3,  from  which  the  patent  system  of 
England  has  grown  up,  speaks  only  of  "  new  manufactures."  Yet  the 
Judges  of  that  kingdom  find  a  warrant  in  this  limited  expression  for 
sustaining  patents  for  an  art,  and  even  for  the  renewed  discovery  of 
an  art  that  had  been  lost.  (See  the  Hot  Blast  Case,  Webster,  P.  C.  683, 
717,  and  Mr.  Webster's  note  at  p.  718,  and  the  case  of  Wright's  Patent, 
ibid.  736,  and  the  cases  grouped  in  Hindmarch,  pp.  77-102.) 

Indeed,  the  author  whose  treatise  we  have  cited  last,  asserts  with 
much  emphasis,  that  it  is  the  art,  and  nothing  else,  which  is  the  cha- 
racteristic subject  of  every  privilege  granted  by  a  patent  under  the 
statute — p.  92.  And  it  may  be  noted,  as  not  without  interest,  that  in 
just  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  English  law  cases,  the  English 
patents  of  Cooke  and  Wheatstone,  Davy,  and  Bain,  claim  property  in 
the  arts  for  which  their  mechanical  devices  are  respectively  adapted ; 
not,  indeed,  in  so  many  words,  but  in  language  as  unequivocal  as  that 
employed  by  Mr.  Morse. 

Nor  can  we  see  that  there  is  any  reason  of  policy,  which  should 
deny  protection  to  an  art,  while  extending  it  to  the  machinery  or  pro- 
cesses which  the  art  teaches,  employs,  and  makes  useful.  Why 
should  the  type,  or  the  ink-ball,  or  the  press  itself,  be  dignified  beyond 
the  art  to  which  they  minister  in  such  humble  subordination,  and 
without  which  they  are  rubbish  ?  Will  you  patent  the  new  product, 
and  the  new  elemental  means,  and  the  new  process  by  which  they  act, 
and  then  debate  whether  you  may  patent  the  art  ?  You  have  patented 
it  already. 

We  are  aware,  of  course,  that  it  has  been  held  in  some  cases  under 
the  English  patent  law,  that  the  art  to  be  patented  must  have  some 
reference  to  a  manufacture.  (See  Hindmarch,  ut  supra'.)  But  while 
such  a  deduction  might  be  legitimate  from  the  words  of  the  statute  of 
James,  it  would  be  obviously  otherwise  under  the  more  liberal  phrase- 
ology of  our  act  of  Congress.  And  even  in  England,  it  must  be 
apparent  to  every  one  who  has  watched  the  progress  of  their  patent 
system,  that  this  limitation  is  practically  disregarded  already,  and  tha;t 
it  is  to  be  repudiated  as  soon  as  it  shall  interfere  with  the  protection 
of  an  important  invention. 

Yet,  in  truth,  there  are  few  discoveries  of  practical  moment  to  the 
daily  concerns  of  men,  even  in  the  lapse  of  many  years,  that  are  not 
more  or  less  directly  connected  with  some  department  of  manufacturing 
industry  or  skill.  The  convex  lens — the  steamboat — the  iron  road, 
on  which  cars  are  propelled  by  the  friction  of  driving  wheels — some 
of  these  may  be  so  indirectly  connected  with  manufactures,  or  rather 
they  are  associated  so  intimately  with  the  leading  pursuits  and  interests 
and  enjoyments  of  all  of  us,  as  to  make  it  difficult  to  refer  them  to 
the  category  of  a  particular  manufacture.  Would  it  not  be  strange  if, 
on  this  account,  they  were  excluded  from  the  benefits  of  the  patent 
system  ?  If  we  go  back  to  the  early  story  of  our  race,  and  mark 
the  stages  of  its  long  and  difficult  advance — from  language,  the  first 


208  APPENDIX. 

exponent  of  thought,  to  letters,  its  first  record — and  from  letters  to 
printing,  which  first  diffused  letters  widely  though  slowly  among  men — 
and  from  printing  to  the  telegraph,  the  electric  register  of  thought, 
spreading  its  fibres  of  sympathy  over  the  intelligent  world,  and  making 
it  throb  simultaneously  everywhere,  as  with  the  pulsations  of  one  heart ; 
who  will  say  that  each  transition  between  these  great  epochs,  that  sig- 
nalize the  moral  and  intellectual  progress  of  mankind,  should  not  be 
marked  by  a  memorial  as  stately  as  the  first  clipping  of  a  cut  nail,  or 
the  compounding  of  a  new  variety  of  liquid  blacking?  or  that  the 
men  to  whom  we  owe  them  should  not  be  dealt  with  as  liberally,  or 
at  least  as  justly,  by  the  State  ? 

2.  The  second  general  subject  of  Mr.  Morse's  patent  of  1840  includes 
many  particulars ;  all  of  them  interesting  and  valuable  in  connection 
with  the  claim  we  have  just  been  considering.  Taken  together,  they 
give  a  practical  form  to  his  leading  invention,  and  guard  it  from  the 
imputation  of  being  a  mere  abstract  notion,  a  principle  resting  in  idea. 
Taken  singly,  some  of  them  appear  to  us  to  be  new ;  as  his  alphabet 
(claim  5),  his  combined  series  (claim  4),  by  which  the  electric  current 
from  one  battery,  before  entirely  expending  itself  in  its  lengthened  cir- 
cuit, is  made  to  set  another  battery  in  action,  from  which  another  circuit 
traverses  to  a  battery  still  beyond — and  so  onwards ;  his  adaptation  of 
clock-work  to  the  recording  cylinders  (claim  2) ;  others,  again,  are  only 
new  as  they  are  elements  of  a  novel  combination.  There  is  no  proof 
before  us  that  any  of  the  devices  which  Mr.  Morse  has  claimed  in  his 
patent,  whether  as  independent  inventions  or  parts  of  a  combination, 
are  not  really  his  'so  far  as  he  has  claimed  them.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  claim  them  in  detail,  for  they  are  all  substantially  protected,  as  ap- 
pliances of  the  art,  which  is  the  great  subject  of  his  patent. 

II.  The  second  patent  of  Mr.  Morse  is  for  what  has  been  termed  his 
Local  Circut.  To  understand  the  questions  which  arise  upon  this,  it  is 
necessary  to  refer  433£tk  to  the  apparatus  which  he  had  patented  before, 
and  to  explain  in  general  terms  its  principle  and  modes  of  operation. 
I  shall  attempt  to  do  this  in  popular  language,  and  without  stopping 
to  consider  very  carefully  the  varying  niceties  of  scientific  nomencla 
ture. 

It  is  well  known  that  a  current  of  galvanic  electricity,  while  passing 
along  a  wire  that  has  been  wound  spirally  round  a  bar  of  soft  iron, 
communicates  to  the  iron  a  certain  degree  of  magnetic  virtue,  and  that 
the  iron  loses  this  magnetic  character  again  as  soon  as  the  electricity 
ceases  to  pass  along  the  wire  that  surrounds  it.  It  is  also  well  known 
that  the  electric  fluid  may  be  passed  along  a  wire  of  great  length,  and 
yet  retain  even  at  the  farthest  extremity  of  the  wire  a  sufficient  degree 
of  energy  to  impart  this  occasional  magnetism  to  the  iron,  and  to  make 
it  capable  for  the  time  of  attracting  any  small  body  of  iron  that  may  be 
near  it.  If  such  a  small  body  of  iron  be  made  to  form  the  extremity 
of  a  nicely  balanced  lever,  it  is  plain  that  while  the  one  extremity  of 
the  lever  is  attracted  towards  the  temporary  magnet,  the  other  ex- 
tremity will  be  moved  in  the  opposite  direction ;  and  if  to  this  other 
extremity  we  affix  a  pencil  or  stylus,  this  will  press  upon  whatever 
surface  may  be  interposed  in  the  way  of  its  motion,  and  may  either 


APPENDIX.  209 

mark  the  surface,  or,  if  it  be  of  a  yielding  nature,  indent  it.  It  is  plain, 
also,  that  when  the  bar  of  soft  iron  ceases  to  be  magnetic,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  electric  fluid  ceasing  to  pass  round  it,  the  lever  will 
take  its  original  position,  and  the  stylus  ceases  to  press  upon  the 
resisting  surface. 

If,  now,  we  suppose  that  surface  to  be  moved  uniformly  below  the 
stylus,  it  is  obvious  that  the  surface  will  be  marked  with  a  straight 
line,  and  that  this  marked  line  will  be  interrupted  during  any  intermis- 
sion of  the  electric  current,  so  as  to  form  a  broken  series  of  straight 
lines ;  or,  if  the  electric  current  passes  and  intermits  in  rapid  alternation, 
a  series  of  dots  or  points.  These  broken  traces  of  the  stylus,  the  lines 
and  dots,  constitute  the  alphabet  of  Mr.  Morse ;  a  certain  succession  of 
either,  or  a  certain  combination  of  the  two,  being  arbitrarily  chosen  to 
indicate  a  particular  letter. 

The  galvanic  battery  generates  the  electric  fluid  continuously,  when- 
ever the  two  extremes  or  poles  of  the  battery  are  connected  by  a  suitable 
conducting  medium — such  as  a  metallic  wire,  water,  or  the  earth  itself 
— along  which  conductor,  as  it  is  called,  the  electric  fluid  may  pass  be- 
tween one  pole  of  the  battery  and  the  other,  thus  performing  what  is 
termed  an  electric  current. 

i.  Let  us  now  extend  a  continuous  wire  from  one  of  the  poles  of  the 
galvanic  battery  to  a  distant  point,  taking  care  that  it  shall  not  be  in- 
termediately in  contact  with  the  earth  or  with  any  other  good  conductor 
of  electricity,  and  let  us  at  the  distant  point  pass  the  wire  in  a  spiral 
coil  round  a  bar  of  soft  iron,  and  thence  lead  it  back  again  to  the  other 
pole  of  the  battery,  or  avail  ourselves  of  the  earth  itself  as  a  part  of 
the  circuit.  It  is  obvious,  from  what  we  have  said  before,  that  the 
electric  fluid,  passing  from  the  battery  along  the  wire,  around  the  oc- 
casional magnet,  and  back  to  the  battery,  and  then,  at  appropriate  in- 
tervals of  time,  interrupted  at  its  circuit,  will  cause  the  stylus  to  make 
its  trace  of  lines  or  dots,  or,  in  other  words,  its  alphabetical  record,  at 
the  distant  station. 

It  only  remains,  then,  to  devise  a  mode  of  interrupting  and  renewing 
at  pleasure  the  flow  of  the  electricity — breaking  and  closing  the  circuit, 
in  the  language  of  the  experts.  This  is  done  by  dividing  the  wire 
near  the  battery,  and  then  arranging  a  simple  finger  key,  which,  when 
struck  or  pressed  upon  by  the  finger,  brings  a  short  metallic  conductor 
into  intimate  contact  with  the  two  ends  of  the  divided  wire,  and  thus 
restores  the  continuity  of  the  circuit  while  the  pressure  continues  on 
the  key.  This  may  serve  as  a  rude  explanation  of  Mr.  Morse's  Electro- 
Magnetic  Telegraph  in  its  simplest  form. 

It  was  found,  however,  at  an  early  period,  that  though  the  electric 
current  was  still  appreciable  after  it  had  passed  over  a  great  length  of 
wire,  yet  in  traversing  the  very  long  circuits  that  were  required  to  in- 
clude distant  telegraph  stations,  it  ceased  to  impart  a  sufficient  degree 
of  energy  to  the  temporary  magnet  to  work  the  stylus  effectively.  To 
meet  this  difficulty,  Mr.  Morse  resorted  to  the  simple  device  of  employ- 
ing a  series  of  batteries  distributed  over  his  line  of  telegraphic  com- 
munication, with  as  many  shorter  circuits,  each  operating  by  means 
of  a  magnet  at  its  extremity,  to  control  the  movements  of  a  small  lever, 
14 


210  APPENDIX. 

that  opened  or  closed  the  circuit  of  the  battery  beyond.  The  last  bat- 
tery gave  efficiency  to  the  recording  apparatus  at  the  distant  station. 
This  formed  the  combined  series  of  Mr.  Morse's  first  patent. 

It  is  easy  to  see,  that  the  intermediate  magnets  of  the  combined 
series,  besides  opening  and  closing  the  circuits,  might  be  also  made  to 
act  as  recording  magnets,  by  merely  adapting  to  them  the  stylus  with 
its  appendages ;  and  there  would  thus  be  as  many  stations  of  telegraphic 
communication  as  there  were  batteries  and  minor  circuits.  But  there 
still  remained  this  objection  to  the  combined  series,  that  it  could  only 
be  worked  in  one  direction,  and  it  was  necessary,  therefore,  to  have  two 
complete  lines  of  wires,  with  their  batteries  and  magnets,  in  order  to 
establish  a  reciprocating  communication. 

To  dispense  with  this  duplication  of  machinery  and  expense  was 
the  object  of  Mr.  Morse,  in  the  invention  which  is  the  subject  of  his 
second  patent.  It  had  been  found  that  the  magnetism  excited  by  the 
electric  coil  was  capable,  at  the  end  of  an  almost  indefinitely  extended 
circuit,  of  giving  motion  to  a  delicately  adjusted  lever,  but  that  this 
was  the  apparent  limit  of  its  dynamic  power.  A  single  wire  might  be 
employed,  then,  without  intervening  magnets,  by  connecting  it  at  the 
extremities  with  electro-magnets  of  great  sensibility  of  mechanism, 
and  employing  the  force  of  those  magnets  merely  to  open  short  local 
circuits,  from  which  local  circuits  the  degree  of  magnetic  energy  ade- 
quate to  the  purpose  of  the  recording  apparatus  could  be  derived. 

It  is  found,  however,  that  the  magnetism  induced  in  soft  iron  by 
the  electric  current,  though  truly  occasional,  does  not  absolutely  cease 
at  the  instant  of  breaking  the  circuit,  but  seems  to  linger  in  the  iron 
for  an  appreciable  interval  of  time  afterwards,  with  an  intensity  which, 
though  slight,  bears  an  apparent  relation  to  the  intensity  of  the  current 
that  induced  it.  This  would  interfere  greatly  with  the  very  rapid 
operation  of  the  telegraph,  if  the  lever  were  left  to  withdraw  itself 
from  the  magnet,  to  which  it  serves  as  armature,  by  the  force  of  gravity 
alone.  A  small  compensation  spring  is  therefore  connected  with  the 
machine,  of  sufficient  strength  to  overcome  the  attraction  of  this  lin- 
gering or  continuous  magnetic  force,  but  not  sufficient  to  resist  the 
attraction  of  the  magnet  when  the  circuit  is  closed. 

But  the  electric  current,  after  passing  over  a  long  wire,  does  not 
exert  a  uniform  dynamic  energy.  However  carefully  insulated  at  first, 
the  wire  becomes,  after  a  time,  more  or  less  exposed  to  atmospheric 
action,  and  the  fluid  is  more  or  less  dissipated  in  consequence.  The 
posts,  on  which  it  is  supported,  become  conductors  during  storms  of 
rain,  and  carry  off  the  fluid  to  the  earth.  Under  other  circumstances, 
the  electro-magnetic  phenomena  are  exaggerated  at  the  receiving  sta- 
tion by  atmospheric  electricity  from  the  regions  through  which  the 
conducting  wire  has  passed.  The  batteries,  too,  do  not  always  gene- 
rate the  fluid  with  the  same  rapidity.  In  a  word,  the  current  at  the 
extremity  of  the  circuit  is  irregular. 

Now,  it  is  apparent,  that  under  these  varying  states  of  the  magnetic 
energy,  the  adjustment  of  the  compensating  spring  at  the  receiving 
station  must  not  be  uniform.  If  its  tension  were  just  that  which  -would 
neutralize  or  barely  overcome  the  continuous  magnetism  induced  by 


APPENDIX.  211 

an  electric  current  of  small  intensity,  it  would  not  draw  back  the  ar- 
mature when  the  inducing  current  had  been  in  greater  force ;  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  a  stronger  spring,  adapted  to  the  case  of  a  powerful 
current,  would  oppose  a  controlling  resistance  to  the  magnetism  in- 
duced by  a  feeble  one.  The  Adjustable  Receiving  Magnet,  described  in 
Mr.  Morse's  second  patent,  meets  perfectly  the  conditions  of  this  diffi- 
culty, and  enables  the  operator,  by  the  mere  touch  of  a  finger  on  an 
adjusting  screw,  to  regulate  the  tension  of  the  spring,  and  adapt  his 
apparatus  to  the  circumstances  of  the  moment. 

The  main  line  thus  arranged,  with  its  delicate  receiving  magnet  and 
its  short  recording  circuit  at  each  extremity,  made  no  provision  for 
intermediate  or  collateral  stations.  But,  as  it  had  been  found  desirable 
in  practice  to  distribute  the  batteries,  in  which  the  electric  fluid  was 
generated,  over  different  parts  of  the  line,  so  as  to  reinforce  the  ener- 
gies of  the  current  in  its  progress,  it  was  almost  an  obvious  suggestion 
to  connect  at  these  several  points  a  receiving  magnet  of  adjustable 
character,  either  with  the  main  line  or  with  the  battery  forming  part 
of  it,  and  to  attach  to  this  receiving  magnet  a  local  registering  circuit, 
or  a  branch  circuit  leading  to  one  or  more  collateral  stations. 

Such  I  understand  to  be  Mr.  Morse's  Local  or  Independent  Circuit. 
His  patent  of  1846,  as  reissued  in  1848,  claims  it  in  these  words : — 

"  The  employment  in  a  certain  telegraphic  circuit  of  a  device,  or 
contrivance  called  the  receiving  magnet,  in  combination  with  a  short 
local  independent  circuit  or  circuits,  each  having  a  register  and  regis- 
tering magnet  or  other  magnetic  contrivances  for  registering,  and  sus- 
taining such  a  relation  to  the  registering  magnet  or  other  contrivances 
for  registering,  and  to  the  length  of  circuit  of  telegraph  line,  as  will 
enable  me  to  obtain,  with  the  aid  of  a  main  galvanic  battery  and  cir- 
cuit, and  the  intervention  of  a  local  battery  and  circuit,  such  motion 
or  power  for  registering  as  could  not  be  obtained  otherwise  without 
the  use  of  a  'much  larger  galvanic  battery,  if  at  all." 

That  the  local  or  independent  circuit,  as  we  have  described  it,  and 
as  it  is  more  accurately  and  perhaps  more  intelligibly  set  out  by  Mr. 
Morse  in  his  specification,  was  original  with  him,  cannot  be  seriously 
questioned.  The  devices  referred  to  in  the  patents  of  Cooke  and 
Wheatstone,  and  Davy  are  at  least  imperfect  modifications  of  the  com- 
bined series  of  Mr.  Morse's  first  patent ;  one  of  them  not  improbably 
borrowed  from  it.  The  adjustable  receiving  magnet,  the  indispensable 
and  characteristic  element  of  the  local  circuit  patent,  no  one  has  claimed 
but  himself. 

It  is  only  to  make  the  first  approach  to  a  controversy  on  this  point, 
to  prove  to  us  that  Professor  Henry  had  as  early  as  1828  made  the 
intensity  magnet,  with  which  the  scientific  world  is  now  familiar — or 
that  he  afterwards,  and  before  Mr.'Morse's  first  application  for  a  patent, 
had  illustrated  before  his  classes  at  Princeton,  the  manner  in  which 
one  circuit  could  operate  to  hold  another  closed,  or  to  break  it  at 
pleasure — or  that  he  had  foreseen  the  applicability  of  his  discoveries 
to  the  purposes  of  a  telegraph.  The  question  is  not  one  of  scientific 
precedence ;  and  if  it  were,  this  is  not  the  forum  that  could  add  to  or 
detract  from  the  eminent  fame  of  Mr.  Henry.  It  is  purely  a  question 


212  APPENDIX. 

of  invention  applied  in  a  practical  form  to  a  specific  use ;  and  so  re- 
garded it  admits  but  of  a  single  answer. 

In  passing  from  the  questions  of  originality  and  identity  of  inven- 
tion, that  have  been  raised  in  the  cause,  without  a  more  detailed  re- 
view of  all  the  testimony,  there  is  occasion  perhaps  for  an  explanatory 
remark.  It  is  this :  the  decree  of  a  judge  finds  its  appropriate  and 
only  justification  in  the  facts  proved  before  him,  not  in  theories,  how- 
ever ingenious,  nor  the  less  speculative  inferences  of  other  minds ;  and 
where  the  essential  facts  of  a  case  are  as  clearly  established  as  they  are 
here,  it  would  be  unprofitable  as  well  as  painful,  perhaps,  to  discuss 
the  particulars  of  variance  between  the  witnesses.  There  is  no  place 
in  which  the  evidence  of  scientific  men,  upon  topics  within  their  own 
departments  of  knowledge,  is  more  to  be  desired  than  in  this  court, 
when  sitting  for  the  trial  of  patent  causes ;  and  the  opinions,  also,  of 
such  men,  when  duly  supported  by  reasonings  founded  on  ascertained 
fact,  must  of  course  be  valued  highly.  But  it  is  a  mistake  to  suppose 
that,  even  on  a  question  of  science,  opinion  can  be  dignified  here  or 
elsewhere  with  the  mantle  of  authority.  Still  less  can  we  allow  it  to 
avail  us  here,  when  it  assumes  contested  facts,  or  volunteers  to  aid  us 
in  determining  the  import  of  written  instruments. 

These  remarks  are  not  dictated  by  a  spirit  of  unkind  or  uncourteous 
commentary  on  the  depositions  before  us.  We  know  that  when 
opinion  is  active,  it  is  not  always  easy  to  limit  its  range.  There  is  be- 
sides very  much  of  accurate  scientific  history,  and  of  just  and  well 
guarded  deduction  from  it,  in  these  volumes  of  exhibits.  But  it  must 
be  confessed,  also,  that  there  is  to  be  found  here  and  there  not  a  little 
of  imperfectly  considered  dogma,  as  well  as  something  of  doubtfully 
regulated  memory — and  it  has  seemed  to  us,  in  this  case  as  well  as  in 
some  others,  that  the  toil  and  expense  and  excitement  of  litigation 
might  have  been  moderated,  perhaps,  if  the  appropriate  tone  and  pro- 
vince of  testimony  had  been  more  exactly  understood  by  some  of  the 
witnesses. 

The  objections  which  have  been  taken  to  the  terms  of  the  reissue  of 
Mr.  Morse's  patent  of  1846,  may  be  answered  by  a  simple  reference  to 
that  part  of  our  opinion  in  which  we  have  considered  the  arguments 
of  the  same  character  that  were  urged  against  the  patent  of  1840. 

It  is  beyond  controversy,  that  the  Local  Circuit  Patent  has  been  in- 
fringed upon  at  some  of  the  stations  of  the  respondents'  line ;  and  it  is 
the  opinion  of  the  court,  that  it  is  also  violated  whenever  the  Branch 
Circuit  of  Mr.  Kogers  is  employed.  We  have  not  been  able  to  see  the 
asserted  difference  in  principle  between  the  two  devices.  Both  are 
equally  well  described  as  Branch  or  as  Local  Circuits.  They  have  the 
same  purpose ;  they  effect  it  by  the  same  instrumentality,  even  in  ap- 
pearance, to  a  great  degree ;  and  they  seem  to  vary  only  in  this,  that 
the  one  derives  its  electric  fluid  from  a  battery  placed  within  the  line 
of  the  main  circuit,  the  other  from  a  battery  placed  without  it.  The 


change 
as  an  ii 
until  after  his  patent  has  expired. 


•e  may  be  for  the  better,  or  it  may  not ;  if  it  be,  it  is  patentable 
as  an  improvement ;  but  it  cannot  be  used  without  Mr.  Morse's  license, 


APPENDIX.  213 

III.  The  third  patent  is  for  the  Chemical  Telegraph.  We  do  not 
propose  to  enter  on  the  discussion  of  this.  The  subject  of  it  is  clearly 
within  the  original  patent  of  Mr.  Morse,  if  we  have  correctly  appre- 
hended the  legal  interpretation  and  effect  of  that  instrument.  We  will 
only  say,  that  we  do  not  hold  it  to  have  been  invalidated  by  the  de- 
cision of  the  learned  Chief  Justice  of  the  District  of  Columbia  on  the 
question  of  interference.  The  forms  of  the  two  machines  before  him 
were  not  the  same  ;  and  the  leading  principle  of  both  having  been  al- 
ready appropriated  and  secured  by  the  Magnetic  Telegraph  patent  of 
1840,  nothing  remained  but  form  to  be  the  subject  of  interference. 

The  counsel  for  the  complainants  will  be  pleased  to  prepare,  for  the 
consideration  of  the  court,  the  draft  of  a  decree  in  accordance  with 
the  prayer  of  their  bill. 

Having  been  kindly  furnished  with  the  decision  of  Judge  Woodbury, 
in  the  celebrated  House  case,  with  corrections  by  his  son,  I  have  pub- 
lished it  with  the  decision  of  Judge  Kane,  in  the  celebrated  Morse  and 
Bain  case,  making  no  remarks,  but  allowing  my  readers  to  come  to 
their  own  conclusions  in  regard  to  the  exclusive  claims  of  Mr.  Morse 
to  electro-magnetism  in  telegraphing. 


UNITED  STATES  CIRCUIT  COURT,  DISTRICT  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

May  Term,  1850.     JUSTICE  WOODBURY,  Presiding. 
F.  0.  J.  Smith  vs.  Hugh  Downing  et  al. 

This  was  a  bill  in  chancery  for  an  injunction  against  the  defendants 
not  to  use  longer  an  electro-magnetic  telegraph  between  Boston  and 
New  York.  It  was  alleged  that  the  plaintiff,  by  assignment,  was  owner 
of  the  patent  for  Morse's  Telegraph  between  those  two  cities,  and  that 
the  defendants,  without  license,  were  using  a  similar  one  on  that  line, 
and  thus  infringing  ,on  Morse's  patent,  and  injuring  greatly  the 
plaintiff. 

The  bill  was  filed  in  October,  1849,  but  not  being  ready  for  a  hear- 
ing, asked  for  a  temporary  injunction  till  the  spring  of  1850.  Such 
temporary  injunction  was  then  in  the  spring  waived,  and  the  case  was 
set  down  for  a  final  hearing  June  15,  1850,  on  the  application  for  a 
final  and  permanent  injunction. 

The  record  was  very  long,  with  much  evidence  by  witnesses  and 
depositions,  and  many  documents. 

The  contents  of  the  bill  need  not  be  farther  recited  here,  as  anything 
more  in  it  which  is  deemed  material  will  be  noticed  in  the  opinion  of 
the  court. 

The  answers  by  some  of  the  defendants  denied  their  participation  in 
the  use  of  any  telegraph,  except  as  shareholders  in  one  worked  by  the 
other  defendants — and  the  others,  in  a  separate  answer,  denied  the 
originality  of  Morse's  invention,  as  well  as  claimed  that  House's,  which 
they  employed,  was  invented  by  him,  was  unlike  Morse's  in  principle, 
and  was  no  infringement  on  it  in  any  way. 

The  testimony,  which  was  very  voluminous,  will,  when  necessary, 


21-i  APPENDIX. 

be  referred  to  or  recited  in  the  opinion,  and  need  not  be  detailed 
here. 

The  case  was  argued  at  the  time  assigned,  by  F.  0.  J.  Smith  and  B. 
E.  Curtis -for  the  plaintiff,  and  by  Charles  Levi  Woodbury,  Clifford, 
and  Choate,  for  the  defendants. 

WOODBURY,  J. — This  case  is  full  of  difficulty,  in  respect  both  to  the 
facts  and  the  law. 

The  operations  of  the  conflicting  machines  depend  much  on  the  prin- 
ciples of  electricity  and  galvanism — two  sciences  not  very  well  under- 
stood, except  by  those  who  have  made  them  a  special  study ;  and  the 
trouble  in  comprehending  with  clearness  and  fulness  their  operations 
here,  is  increased  by  the  intricate  and  novel  mechanism  employed. 

More  especially  is  this  last  the  case  with  the  machine  worked  by  the 
defendants,  and  alleged  to  have  been  invented  by  Mr.  House,  and 
which  is  made  still  more  complicated  by  the  use  of  the  new  species  of 
magnetism,  called  axial  magnetism,  and  by  the  use  of  air  as  an  addi- 
tional power  to  move  parts  of  the  machine.  As  these  two  inventions 
are  both  conceded  to  be  remarkable  in  their  character — relating  to  an 
improvement  in  telegraphic  communication  by  electro-magnetism  at 
great  distances  with  almost  lightning  speed,  and  thus  forming  one  of 
the  wonders  of  the  age ;  and  as  their  value  is  estimated  to  be  very 
large,  both  to  their  owners  and  the  public,  I  have  hastened  to  examine 
the  rights  of  each  party  as  early  and  as  fully  as  other  pressing  avoca- 
tions would  permit. 

The  prayer  of  the  bill,  by  F.  0.  J.  Smith,  the  assignee  of  Morse,  is 
for  a  permanent  and  final  injunction  in  equity  against  those  who  are 
operating  under  House.  And  this  remedy  should  be  granted,  if  it 
appears  on  the  whole  evidence  that  Morse  was  the  original  or  first 
inventor  of  what  he  really  claims  in  his  patent,  and  that  the  machine 
by  House  is  not  different  in  principle,  but  the  same  in  substance  as 
Morse's. 

These  two  questions,  with  some  incidental  considerations  under  each, 
will  be  found  to  cover  the  whole  case. 

In  order  to  ascertain  whether  Morse  was  the  original  inventor  of  all 
which  he  claims,  it  will  be  necessary  first  to  examine  and  settle  how 
much  he  does  claim — that  is,  how  much  is  embraced  in  his  specification. 

This  inquiry  is  made  somewhat  complicated  by  his  having  taken 
out  two  different  patents  on  the  subject  of  electro -magnetism  and  its 
use  in  telegraphs,  and  having  renewed  one  of  them  twice,  and  the  other 
once,  and  having  preceded  the  first  patent  by  a  caveat,  describing  its 
character  and  extent. 

But  what  he  claims  does  not  seem  material  in  this  case,  except  as 
set  forth  in  the  first  patent  and  its  various  renewals. 

I  shall  therefore  confine  my  inquiry  to  that,  though  the  others 
must  at  times  be  adverted  to,  the  better  to  understand  what  was  meant 
in  that. 

As  represented  in  his  letter  to  the  Treasury  Department  in  1837, 
Morse  says  he  had  been  attempting,  since  1832,  to  make  electricity 
visible  at  a  distance  by  signs,  intelligible  and  certain,  so  as  to  commu- 


APPENDIX.  215 

nicate  information.  (See  it  in  VaiVs  Hist.  152.)  And  in  his  caveat  of 
October  6,  1837,  he  claims  to  have  " invented  anew  method  of  trans- 
mitting and  receiving  intelligence  by  means  of  electro-magnetism"  Or,  in 
other  words,  in  the  same  instrument,  "  a  method  of  recording  perma- 
nently electrical  signs"  at  a  distance.  His  specification  filed  in  1838, 
April  7,  is  much  the  same  in  substance. 

Following  up  a  like  idea  in  1840,  in  his  first  patent,  he  claims  in 
that  to  have  invented  only  a  "  new  and  useful  improvement  in  the  mode 
of  communicating  information  ~by  signals"  and  by  the  power  of  electro- 
magnetism.  (See  first  patent,  June  20,  1840.) 

Such  is,  in  substance,  the  title  of  this  patent  in  its  original  form  and 
under  all  its  renewals. 

In  his  last  specifications,  in  1848,  he  claims  to  have  invented  merely 
"  a  new  method,"  or  "  a  new  and  useful  apparatus  for  a  system  of  trans- 
mitting" intelligence,  which  puts  in  motion  machinery  for  producing 
signs,  and  at  a  distance  recording  said  signs.  (See  last  renewal,  13th 
June,  1848.) 

From  all  these,  standing  by  themselves,  it  would  seem  manifest,  that 
he  makes  no  pretension  to  have  invented  or  discovered  any  new  prin- 
ciples in  physics,  or  to  have  discovered  the  old  principles  of  electricity 
or  galvanism.  Nor  does  he  claim  to  have  invented  or  discovered  any 
new  principle  in  mechanics,  like  a  new  power,  resembling  the  lever  or 
screw.  As  little  would  any  one  have  supposed  that  he  meant  to  claim 
as  his  invention,  and  as  new,  the  application  at  all  of  electro-magnet- 
ism to  the  purposes  of  telegraphing  at  a  distance,  whether  by  making 
intelligible  marks  or  signs  there,  or  in  some  other  mode,  if  it  had  not 
been  for  some  remarks  in  one  of  his  letters  in  1837,  and  some  words  in 
the  8th  clause  of  his  last  specification,  and  the  ground  taken  in  the 
argument,  recently,  by  his  counsel. 

Thus,  in  his  letter  in  Sept.  1837,  to  Jackson,  he  seems  to  have  be- 
lieved he  had  some  claim  to  this  discovery,  viz. :  as  he  describes  it, 
"the  original  suggestion  of  conveying  intelligence  by  electricity,"  as 
well  as  to  the  invention  which  he  calls  "  the  devised  mode  of  doing  it." 
-(79,  a,  Ev.) 

Yet  nothing  of  this  is  believed  to  be  inserted  in  any  of  his  official 
documents  till  1848. 

In  his  last  renewal  in  1848,  there  are  introduced,  for  the  first  time, 
some  changes  of  language  and  some  tendencies  in  a  part  of  them,  as 
well  as  in  some  of  the  arguments,  to  make  the  claim  broader,  and,  as 
in  the  letter  just  quoted,  to  cover  all  application  of  electro-magnetism, 
if  not  of  electricity,  to  convey  intelligence,  or  to  telegraph  to  a  distance. 

But  as  late  as  1846,  so  far  from  claiming  the  discovery  or  invention 
of  any  new  general  principle  or  art,  and  asking  a  patent  to  protect 
himself  in  the  exclusive  use,  as  inventor  of  all  telegraphs  by  electro- 
magnetism,  he  asks  for  protection  of  only  his  own  improvement,  his 
own  method^  his  own  apparatus.  And  he  seems,  in  his  last  specification 
in  1848,  to  regard  as  the  great  excellence  and  novelty  of  his  invention, 
that  it  imprints  the  signals  at  one  end,  which  were  sent  at  the  other, 
and  in  such  characters  as  to  be  intelligible,  without  an  observer  to 
note  them,  and  easily  translated  into  English  by  means  of  his  steno- 


216  APPENDIX. 

graphic  alphabet,  and  hence  he  there  styles  it  a  "  recording  or  printing 
telegraph}'1  When  there,  for  the  first  time,  he  speaks  also  of  "  the  es- 
sence of  my  invention  being  the  use  of  the  motive  power  of  the  electric 
or  galvanic  current,"  "however  developed"  "for  marking  or  printing 
intelligible  characters,"  " at  any  distance"  being  " a  new  application  of 
that  power  of  which  I  claim  to  be  the  first  inventor  or  discoverer,"  he 
must,  by  all  before  said  and  done,  be  considered  as  claiming  it  in  the 
form  of  his  application,  according  to  his  machinery,  and  in  the  modes 
he  had  described  in  1837,  '38,  '40,  and  1846,  rather  than  in  this  succeed- 
ing clause  of  1848,  and  by  it  intending  to  cover  the  application  itself 
of  electro-magnetism  to  telegraphic  purposes,  in  every  possible  form. 
Otherwise,  his  renewed  patent  of  1848  must  be  regarded  as  void  for 
claiming  too  much,  and  for  wishing  to  protect  a  mere  principle,  or 
effect,  " however  developed"  and  without  reference  to  any  method  de- 
scribed by  him,  atid  to  cover  a  principle,  also,  before  known.  (Harvey, 
Ev.  223.) 

But  limiting  the  patent  to  what  is  described  as  his  method,  or  mode, 
and  considering  that  in  his  "first  claim,"  in  1848,  he  disclaims  such 
broad  views  as  appear  in  the  "eighth  claim"  of  that  date,  and  ex- 
pressly says  :  "  I  wish  to  be  understood  that  I  do  not  claim  the  use  of 
the  galvanic  current,  or  current  of  electricity,  for  the  purpose  of  tele- 
graphic communications  generally,  but  a  new  mode  of  using  it,  to  move 
machinery,  to  print  signs,  &c.,  as  described,"  all  is  consistent,  and  con- 
fined substantially  to  the  mode  he  sets  out  in  his  specifications,  and  in 
his  own  testimony  in  the  record.  (P.  49.) 

What  he  thus  sets  out  is  the  subject  invented. 

What  is  to  be  protected  is  not  an  abstract  or  isolated  principle,  but 
the  embodiment  of  a  principle  into  a  machine  or  manufacture,  as  de- 
scribed in  the  specification ;  and  it  is  the  invention  in  conformity  to 
that  embodiment  or  representation  of  its  working,  which  the  act  of  Con- 
gress will  protect.  (Bolton  vs.  Bull,  2  Hen.  Bl.  458,  403,  483,  and  D. 
&  E.  95 ;  Web.  Ca.  208  ;  Web.  on  Pat.  4,  58, 126-8  ;  2  Stor.  E.  408,  412  : 
Curtis  on  Pa.  §§  4,  96,  and  145 ;  1  Stor.  R.  271  ;  Godson  on  Pat.  72 ; 
Phil.  Pa.  90 ;  1  Gallis,  478 ;  Hindmarsh,  157.)  Because  by  those 
laws,  the  inventor  is  not  to  be  protected,  unless  he  describes  plainly 
and  fully  what  he  has  done,  so  that  the  public  may  copy  or  imitate, 
and  use  it  after  his  term  expires. 

That  is  the  consideration  for  the  exclusive  use  during  the  period  of 
the  patent,  and  having  this,  prevents  the  patentee  from  claiming  after- 
wards more  than  he  had  invented  when  his  patent  issued.  (  Web.  Case, 
719, 1  &  2,  and  D.  &  E.  100,  2  ;  Curtis,  §§  128,  205.  And  what  he  does 
not,  or  certainly  what  in  the  misty  future  he  cannot  describe,  he  must 
be  presumed  not  to  have  invented.  2  Hen.  Bl.  483.) 

As  this  broader  claim  goes  far  beyond  what  we  have  already  seen 
was  that  made  in  the  caveat,  and  in  the  first  specification,  and  in  the 
original  patent,  as  well  as  in  all  the  subsequent  renewals ;  as  it  conflicts 
with  much  of  the  language  in  this  very  last  renewal,  looking  only  to  a 
new  method  and  a  mere  improvement  on  what  existed  before ;  and  as  he 
seems  to  disavow  it  in  his  own  evidence  (49  record) ;  and  as,  on  every- 
thing in  the  case,  it  is  at  least  questionable  whether  he  could  have  in- 


APPENDIX.  217 

tended  to  patent  anything,  except  an  improvement  on  what  before 
existed,  I  do  not  think  it  just  to  place  a  broader  construction  on  his 
language  than  the  whole  subject-matter,  and  description,  and  nature 
of  the  case  seem  to  indicate  as  designed. 

These  are  all  to  be  looked  to ;  and  no  fancied  construction,  travelling 
too  far,  on  a  new  and  doubtful  ground,  is  to  be  adopted,  but  rather  what 
is  natural  and  clear,  considering  what  already  exists  on  the  same  sub- 
ject. (Haworth  vs.  Hardcastle,  Webst.  Ca.  485  ;  Duval  vs.  Brown,  1 
WoodVy  &  Minot,  53,  58 ;  6  Peters,  218 ;  1  Stor.  R.  272,  287 ;  2  Star. 
R.  164;  1  Leemen,  482.)  And  I  the  more  readily  adopt  this  course 
for  his  own  protection,  as  such  broader  view  might  subject  his  patent 
be  considered  void,  both  for  claiming  too  much,  and  for  claiming 
also  the  invention  of  a  mere  principle.  It  would  be  claiming  too  much, 
as  it  would  cover  the  application  in  every  way  of  electro-magnetism 
to  telegraphs ;  when  this,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter  by  the  history  of 
this  subject,  and  is  sworn  to  by  a  large  number  of  highly  intelligent 
experts,  had  been  known  publicly  and  for  years  before  Morse's  first 
attention  to  the  subject  in  1832.  (Prof.  Henry's  Ev.  76,  v;  Prof.  Hare, 
92,  v ;  C.  B.  Moss,  Ev.  84 ;  Henry,  Ev.  223  ;  Renwick,  Ev.  234-5  ;  Steele, 
Ev.  245-6  ;  Reid,  Ev.  150 ;  Chilton,  Ev.  286 ;  Bordon,  Ev.  218 ;  Channing, 
Ev.  40 ;  Jackson,  77,  r,  and  81,  r.) 

Indeed,  he  himself  virtually  admits  the  truth  of  this  in  his  testimony. 
(Morse,  Ev.  49,  r.) 

Others,  no  less  than  the  persons  cited,  as  well  as  the  history  soon  to 
be  given  of  the  progress  on  this  subject,  show  that  several  had,  before 
Morse,  not  only  made  this  discovery,  but  applied  both  electricity  and 
electro-magnetism  to  the  purpose  of  telegraphing.  But  if,  by  his  al- 
phabet and  record,  he  has  been  successful  in  making  an  improvement 
in  the  use  of  electricity  for  that  purpose,  and  wished  to  secure  the  new 
method  of  doing  it,  he  was  at  liberty,  in  point  of  law,  to  make  out  a 
patent  for  that  new  mode,  but  for  nothing  more.  (Henry's  Ev^) 

He  came  into  the  world  too  late  for  truly  claiming  much  as  new.  A 
large  galaxy  of  discoverers  on  this  subject  had  preceded  him. 

The  avoidance  of  patents  for  claiming  too  much  is  of  frequent  occur- 
rence, and  needs  no  explanation  as  to  the  reasons  for  it  when  an  appli- 
cant is  so  improvident  or  unjust  to  others  as  to  claim  for  himself  more 
than  he  invented,  and  the  credit  or  profit  of  which  belongs  to  others 
rather  than  himself.  (See  1  Stor.  R.  273;  2  Stor.  R.  4;  1  Sumner,  482 ; 
1  Web.  Cases,  485  ;  6  Peters,  218  ;  1  Wood  and  Min.  53-8.) 

As  to  the  second  objection,  that  this  would  be  seeking  to  cover  by  a 
patent  a  new  principle  without  reference  to  any  mode  or  method  of  en- 
forcing it,  the  patent  laws  are  well  settled  never  to  permit  it.  (2  Hen. 
Pst,  4  &  6.) 

The  impropriety  of  claiming  a  patent  for  the  invention  or  discovery 
of  a  new  principle,  however  important  it  may  be  per  se,  rests  on  the 
idea  that  the  exclusive  use  of  the  invention,  for  a  term  of  years,  is 
given  to  the  patentee,  to  reward  his  genius  and  expense  in  making  the 
invention,  and  pointing  out  in  his  specification  how  it  can  be  used  bene- 
ficially, and  the  machine,  if  it  be  a  machine,  easily  made  by  any  me- 
chanic for  general  employment.  The  patent  is,  in  such  case,  and  must 


218  APPENDIX. 

be,  in  order  to  possess  validity,  not  for  the  principle,  but  for  the  mode, 
machine,  or  manufacture,  to  carry  out  the  principle,  and  reduce  it  to 
practice.  (  Webs,  on  Pat.  45-8.)  In  short,  the  principle  thus  becomes 
the  modus  operand^  and  rests  in  the  new  mode  adopted  to  accomplish 
certain  results.  And  though  some  expressions  may  have  been  used 
by  one  or  two  judges  which  look  like  a  sanction  to  patenting  a  prin- 
ciple, yet  they  are  used  in  the  above  sense  of  a  principle  in  operation, 
in  the  manner  set  out  in  the  specification,  or  are  used  too  loosely  from 
haste  and  inadvertence.  Except  for  this  view  as  to  the  method,  what 
use  would  there  be  in  a  specification  describing  the  machine  or  method? 
So  where  any  judge  speaks  of  patenting  an  art,  it  is  not  an  art  in  the 
abstract,  without  a  specification  of  the  manner  in  which  it  is  to  operate, 
as  a  manufacture  or  otherwise.  But  it  is  the  art  thus  explained  in  the 
specification  and  illustrated  by  a  machine,  or  model,  or  drawings,  when 
of  a  character  to  be.  It  is  the  art  so  represented  or  exemplified,  like 
the  principle  thus  embodied,  which  alone  the  patent  laws  ever  are  de- 
signed to  protect.  In  the  English  patent  acts,  the  word  "  art "  is  not 
used  at  all. 

And  in  ours,  as  well  as  in  our  constitution,  the  word  art  means  a 
useful  art  or  a  manufacture,  which  is  beneficial,  and  which  by  the  same 
law  is  required  to  be  described  with  exactness  in  its  mode  of  operation, 
and  which  of  course,  for  the  reasons  already  laid  down,  can  be  pro- 
tected only  in  the  mode  and  to  the  extent  thus  described.  (1  Stor.  R. 
273,  285;  4  Wash.  0.  0.  9,  12 ;  1  Howard,  204;  Web.  on  P.  8,  9 ; 
Phil  Pat.  74  to  76;  Hindmarsh,  49;  Curtis,  38,  9th  section.) 

No  lawyer,  conversant  with  the  patent  system,  could  for  a  moment 
suppose  that  because  Arkwright  first  invented  and  perfected  the  art 
of  spinning  by  machinery,  he  could  have  taken  out  a  patent  for  this 
art  generally,  and  covered  and  monopolized  all  kinds  of  future  and 
different  improvements  in  that  art.  On  the  contrary  he  could  shield 
no  mode  of  the  art,  but  that  which  he  had  devised,  used,  and  described. 
So  it  has  been  held  that  a  patent  for  cutting  ice  by  human  power, 
does  not  cover  any  mode  but  that  described.  (1  Story,  R.  273.) 

So,  though  Woodworth  first  invented  planing  boards  by  machinery, 
he  could  not  take  out  a  patent  for  that  art,  principle  or  system  gene- 
rally, and  thus  either  monopolize  or  prevent  future  improvements, 
when  differing  substantially  from  his  machine.  But  the  whole  effort 
of  Woodworth's  assignees  has  been  to  describe  his  particular  mode  of 
planing,  so  as  not  to  omit  anything  material,  or  to  cover  too  much, 
and  no  attempt  is  made  to  protect  anything  connected  with  planing 
by  machinery,  except  the  mode,  thus  described,  or  what  is  substan- 
tially the  same. 

Considering  the  opinions  I  have  thus  formed  on  this,  and,  as  will 
soon  be  explained,  on  other  points  of  the  case,  it  does  riot  seem  neces- 
sary to  decide,  on  this  occasion,  whether  the  severe  criticism,  which 
has  been  made  by  the  counsel  for  the  respondents  on  several  other 
portions  of  Morse's  claims  is  well  founded  or  not;  and  more  espe- 
cially whether  his  chief  patent  is  not  invalid,  because  covering  too  long 
a  period,  the  time  included  by  a  previous  foreign  patent  not  having 
been  deducted.  It  suffices  now  to  add,  that  the  general  conclusion  as 


APPENDIX.  219 

to  the  extent  of  Mr.  Morse's  claim  in  his  specification,  as  amended  or 
renewed,  is,  that  he  intended,  in  the  words  of  the  patent,  to  embrace 
only  "  a  new  and  useful  improvement."  Or,  as  repeated  in  the  specifi- 
cation itself,  only  "  a  new  method"  of  communicating  and  recording 
signs  by  "  electro-magnetism ;"  and  he  does  not  seem  to  have  meant 
to  cover  merely  a  new  object  or  purpose,  to  which  an  old  principle  or 
machine  was  to  be  applied,  and  which  is  not  patentable.  (Hindmarsh 
on  Patents,  96;  Webs.  Ca.  208;  Curtis,  §  4;  2  Stor.  R.  408.)  Nor  a 
new  abstract  principle  to  produce  new  results  in  telegraphing  by 
means  of  electro -magnetism. 

The  essence  of  his  method  beyond  what  before  had  existed  or  been 
practised,  was  to  make  the  electro-magnetism,  when  excited  and  moving 
in  a  particular  form,  and  marking  at  one  end  of  the  wires,  not  merely  ex- 
hibit some  evanescent  sign  at  the  other  end,  but  a  sign  which  the  ma- 
chine is  made  to  trace,  and  thus  record  there  permanently.  This  sign 
is  excited  by  the  closing  and  opening  of  the  circuit  by  a  stroke  or  by 
lifting  the  wire  from  the  cups,  or  by  a  knob  pressed  down  and  acting 
by  a  spring,  and  the  mark  by  machinery  is  made  to  assume  several 
forms ;  but  the  one  generally  practised,  is  that  of  dots  and  straight 
lines.  These,  traced  in  succession  on  the  rolling  paper,  and  by  being  dif- 
ferent in  number  and  combination  are,  by  the  stenographic  alphabet 
invented  by  Mr.  Morse  and  embraced  as  a  part  of  the  system,  made  to 
represent  all  the  letters,  and,  when  you  please,  certain  words  in  most 
common  use. 

The  great  result  of  the  improvement  is  by  this  machinery  and  the 
alphabet  of  signs  for  letters,  to  trace  at  one  end  the  dots  and  lines, 
which  represent  what  it  is  wished  to  communicate,  and  thus  to  have 
the  same  traced  at  the  other  end  on  paper,  by  like  dots  and  lines. 

The  great  beauty  of  the  system  is  the  identity  of  the  tracing  at  both 
ends  by  the  new  machine  (whether  through  the  type  rule  at  the  begin- 
ning, or  the  breaking  and  closing  the  circuits  through  the  type  rule  or 
thumb  spring),  and  also  the  rapidity  as  well  as  the  exactness  with 
which  this  tracing  or  recording  is  accomplished. 

Indeed,  so  impressed  was  the  inventor  with  this  striking  peculiarity 
in  his  system,  that  in  his  last  specification  he  proposes  to  characterize 
it  as  "the  first  recording  and  printing  telegraph  by  electro -magnetism." 

Describing  his  invention  as  including  these  improvements,  and 
limiting  it  to  them,  he  escapes  the  imputation  or  fatal  error  of  claiming 
too  much,  or  claiming  to  have  discovered  only  a  new  or  a  mere  art. 

The  next  question  in  connection  with  the  first  head  of  inquiry  is,  if 
this  improvement  or  method  was  original  with  Mr.  Morse  ? 

He  states  that  the  first  idea  he  formed  in  relation  to  the  subject 
of  communicating  information  by  electricity  to  a  distance,  was  on 
board  the  Sully,  on  his  return  from  Europe  in  the  autumn  of  1832. 
But  from  various  obstacles  and  imperfections  in  existing  batteries,  and 
a  want  of  pecuniary  means,  and  the  novelty  and  complicated  nature  of 
the  proposed  improvement,  he  was  not  able  nearly  to  complete  it  till 
October,  1837,  when  he  filed  a  caveat  on  the  subject,  and  in  April, 
1838,  put  his  specifications  and  drawings  on  the  records  of  the  patent 
office,  and  in  June,  1840,  took  out  his  first  patent. 


220  APPENDIX. 

When  his  attention  was  first  turned  to  the  subject  in  1832,  not 
having  before  been  particularly  engaged  in  scientific  pursuits,  though 
possessed  of  good  general  information  and  much  ingenuity  (Day's  Ev. 
92,  a ;  Prof.  Silliman,  Ev.  94,  a),  he  did  not  appear  to  know  with  exact- 
ness what  discoveries  had  before  been  made  in  the  matter,  and  how  far 
others,  by  vast  ingenuity  and  science  in  the  same  path,  had  already 
carried  into  effect  what  then  struck  him  as  practicable  and  likely 
to  prove  highly  useful. 

Whether  he  or  Dr.  Jackson  first  spoke  on  that  occasion  of  what 
might  probably  be  done  to  convert  the  power  of  electricity  to  use  in 
recording  ideas  as  well  as  in  communicating  them  to  a  distance,  is 
disputed.  (Jackson,  Ev.  162-4.)  It  does  not  seem  necessary  to  settle 
this  point  on  this  occasion;  and  it  is  a  controversy  very  unpleasant  to 
discuss,  if  avoidable,  between  two  gentlemen  of  such  high  reputation 
and  public  usefulness. 

It  would  seem  probable,  that  after  the  matter  was  broached  by 
some  one,  Dr.  Jackson,  from  the  nature  of  his  scientific  studies,  fresh 
from  lectures  in  Paris,  with  an  electro- magnet  in  his  baggage  on 
board,  and  some  recent  books,  treating  of  some  of  the  operations 
which  had  been  performed  with  this  power  (Jackson,  Ev.  187,  r,  162, 
r,  18,  r,)  could  impart  more  information  in  respect  to  it,  and  to  any 
probable  improvement  in  the  use  of  it.  While,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  is  certain  from  what  has  taken  place  since,  that  Mr.  Morse  possessed 
the  perseverance,  industry,  and  skill,  to  go  on  with  inquiries  concern- 
ing the  subject  when  once  started,  till  he  perfected  an  instrument  or 
machine  to  accomplish  what  was  then  agitated,  and  that  he  is,  there- 
fore, under  the  patent  system,  alone  entitled  to  be  protected  as  the 
inventor  of  what  is  claimed  and  described  in  his  specification,  so  far  as 
it  had  not  been  completed  before  by  others.  (1  Mason,  66,  305 ;  3 
Story,  R.  133 ;  2  Woodbury  &  M.  in  Allan  vs.  Blunt.) 

Undoubtedly  much  which,  in  his  first  reflections  on  the  matter, 
seemed  to  him  novel,  had  been  matter  of  deep  inquiry  and  frequent 
experiments  in  the  universities  as  well  as  private  laboratories  of  Eu- 
rope and  even  of  America. 

It  appears,  on  examination,  that  as  early  as  1746,  Winckler,  at  Leip- 
sic,  had  used  common  electricity  for  telegraphic  communications  by 
the  discharge  of  Leyden  jars,  in  connection  with  a  long  wire.  (3 
Annals  of  Electricity,  p.  445.) 

In  1748,  the  same  was  done  by  Watson  with  two  wires  on  an  ex- 
tended circuit  of  four  miles.  (Ditto,  445,  and  Barretfs  Ev.  208,  a.) 

And  in  1784  or  1787,  Lomond,  by  frictional  electricity  and  a  wire 
extending  thence  into  another  room,  transmitted  telegraphic  signals. 
(VaiVs  History,  121.) 

In  1794,  Eeusser,  by  an  electric  spark  and  wires,  illuminated  letters 
of  tinfoil  at  a  distance  on  a  glass  plate.  And  in  1798,  Betancourt,  in 
Spain,  sent  this  spark  by  Leyden  jars  and  a  wire,  twenty-six  miles ; 
and  in  the  same  year,  Salva,  at  Madrid,  worked  for  many  miles  what 
was  called  "  an  Electric  Spark  Telegraph."  (3  An.  of  Elec.  446  ;  VaiVs 
Hist.  121.) 

If  nothing  more  had  occurred  than  these  Ceases,  it  would  be  a  little 


APPENDIX.  221 

surprising,  that  any  one  acquainted  with  the  subject  should,  in  1832, 
near  thirty-four  years  after,  anxiously  inquire,  as  if  a  novelty  and 
wonder,  whether  electricity  could  not  be  used  for  telegraphic  commu- 
nications ? 

But  galvanism  having  been  discovered  in  1790,  it  is  not  strange, 
after  the  experiments  with  it  for  seventeen  to  nineteen  years,  that 
Soemmering  should  at  Munich,  in  1807,  be  able  to  erect  a  galvanic 
telegraph,  and  make  the  voltaic  pile  decompose  water,  and  show  as  sig- 
nals air  bubbles  over  the  proper  letters,  and  conduct  a  wire  to  a  trough 
in  which  were  thirty -five  gold  pins,  with  letters  or  numbers  on  each, 
and  so  arranged  as  to  complete  a  communication  of  information.  (3 
An.  of  Eke.  448  ;  Vatts  Hist.  122 ;  Hibbard,  Ev.  31,  a ;  Gould,  68,  a.) 

Common  electricity  had  been  found  too  intense  and  erratic,  and  dif- 
ficult to  be  confined,  whereas  that  generated  by  galvanism  had  proved 
more  quiet  and  manageable,  and  not  costly. 

Inquiries,  therefore,  did  not  stop  here,  but  after  that  were  much 
multiplied  and  advanced,  long  before  the  year  1832. 

In  1813,  (Ersted,  the  Danish  philosopher,  commenced  his  experi- 
ments on  the  subject,  and  by  1819  or  1820,  discovered  that  a  magnetic 
needle  at  a  distance  might  be  deflected  by  a  galvanic  current,  and  thus 
mark  information,  and  he  is  generally  considered  the  discoverer  of  the 
magnetic  properties  of  electro-currents.  (Ditto,  Hibbard,  Ev.  29,  a; 
Daniel? s  Chem.  561-2 ;  3  Hewett  on  Inductive  Science,  309.)  In  the 
interim  of  1816,  Dr.  John  Eedman  Coxe,  of  Philadelphia,  described 
the  use  of  galvanism  as  a  telegraph  by  decomposing  water.  ( VaiVs 
Hist.  129,  and  An.  of  Ph.  162.)  How  its  decomposition  and  the  air 
bubbles  enable  the  machine  to  act  is  fully  explained  by  Ghanning, 
Ev.  46,  a. 

In  the  same  year,  Eonalds  constructed  a  telegraph  at  Hammersmith, 
which  operated  for  eight  miles,  and  used  the  disk  of  clocks  for  his  sig- 
nals at  both  ends,  keeping  exact  time,  and  one,  when  touched,  indicat- 
ing the  same  at  the  other  end.  But  it  worked  very  slow,  the  interval 
between  each  was  so  great.  (3  An.  of  El.  449.) 

In  1820,  Arago,  Ampere,  and  Sir  Humphry  Davy,  all  experimented 
and  discovered  as  much  as  (Ersted  had^  and  Ampere  expressly 
stated,  that  the  deflective  needle  would,  in  his  opinion,  be  used  for  tele- 
graphing by  the  magnetic  fluid.  (VaiVs  Hist.  133-4;  Prof.  Henry's 
Evid.  85,  a,  record ;  Doct.  Channing*s  Ev.  47,  a,  record ;  Hillard, 
Ev.  31,  a.) 

The  use  of  magnetism  in  connection  with  electricity  to  make  com- 
munications by  telegraphs,  thus  became  known  and  practised  to  some 
extent  twelve  years  before  Mr.  Morse  proposed  to  commence  any  im- 
provements on  the  subject. 

This  last  period  was  a  new  era  in  the  science  and  in  the  mode  of 
operating  by  deflecting  the  needle  or  lever  by  magnetism.  The  pre- 
ceding era,  from  1790  to  1820,  had  been  distinguished  by  decomposing 
water,  ringing  a  bell,  exploding  a  pistol,  and  other  great  changes  and 
improvements,  introduced  by  galvanism  in  a  manner  superior  to  com- 
mon frictional  electricity.  All  before  that  had  been  the  circuit  by 
wires  and  the  use,  so  far  as  practicable,  of  the  spark  and  other  sig- 


222  APPENDIX. 

rials,  connected  with  it,  through  ordinary  electric  power.     (Channing, 
Ev.  41,  a.) 

It  is  not  a  little  remarkable,  looking  to  both  Morse  and  House  as 
inventors,  that  Ampere's  plan  was  to  have  as  many  wires  as  letters, 
and  press  down  a  key  on  each  as  wanted.  (Do.  36,  Lon.  Jour.  131.) 
And  that,  the  same  year,  Cavallo  proposed  the  communication  to  be 
made  by  a  spark  as  a  signal.  (3  An.  of  Eke.  446.) 

The  public  mind,  among  the  scientific  and  machinists,  had  got  so 
excited  on  the  topic  four  years  previous  to  1832,  the  period  of  the  voy- 
age in  the  Sully,  that  numerous  attempts  were  made  in  1828  to  carry 
out  into  more  practical  use,  and  to  perfect  what  had  been  before  indi- 
cated so  often  and  so  distinctly,  as  to  the  use  of  electricity  and  electro- 
magnetism  for  the  purpose  of  telegraphing.  Jacob  Green  wrote  on  it. 
Travoilot  proposed  to  act  by  a  wire  from  Paris  to  Brussels,  and  Stur- 
geon actually  constructed,  at  Woolwich,  an  apparatus  with  a  horse- 
shoe magnet,  and  the  end  of  a  wire  coiled  round  it,  communicating 
with  the  opposite  poles  of  a  galvanic  machine,  and  thus  supporting  a 
weight  or  bar  of  9  pounds.  (19  Sillimaris  Journal,  330 ;  Prof. 
Henry,  84,  r.) 

It  is  believed  that  Prof.  Henry  had  discovered  and  described  as  early 
as  this,  and  shown  at  Albany,  in  1829,  how  to  increase  the  power  at 
little  expense  (Do.  400 ;  Prof.  Henry's  Ev.  86,  v) ;  and  Feckner  sug- 
gested that  galvanism  could  thus  be  applied  to  telegraph  from  Leipsic 
to  Dresden.  (VaiVs  Hist.  135.) 

But  the  most  surprising  discovery  on  this  subject  about  this  period 
was  by  Harrison  Gray  Dyer,  another  enterprising  American.  In  1827 
or  '28,  he  is  proved,  by  Cornwell  (64,  a,  r),  to  have  constructed  a  tele- 
graph at  Long  Island,  at  the  race-course,  by  wires  on  poles,  and  using 
glass  insulators.  Doct.  Bell  (16,  a,  r)  fortifies  this  statement,  having 
seen  some  of  his  wires,  and  understood  its  operation  to  be  by  a  spark 
sent  from  one  end  to  the  other,  which  made  a  mark  on  paper,  prepared 
by  some  chemical  salts.  (See  also  Charming,  Ev.  54,  a;  Chilton,  Ev.  286, 
as  to  some  such  operations  in  1828.) 

Dyer's  own  deposition,  taken  since  this  cause  was  argued,  and  to  be 
substituted  for  a  letter  from  him  to  Dr.  Bell,  which  was  then  objected 
to  by  the  plaintiff  and  ruled  out,  now  verifies  the  truth  of  the  letter, 
and  goes  into  several  details  as  to  the  condition  of  his  invention,  when 
abandoned  in  1830,  from  fears  of  prosecution  by  some  of  his  agents. 

He  used  common  electricity,  and  not  electro-magnetism,  and  but  one 
wire,  which  operated  by  a  spark,  which,  after  going  through  paper, 
chemically  prepared  so  as  to  leave  a  red  mark  on  it,  passed  into  the 
ground,  without  a  return  circuit.  The  difference  of  time  between  the 
sparks  was  by  an  arbitrary  alphabet,  to  signify  different  letters,  and 
the  paper  was  to  be  moved  by  the  hand  while  the  telegraph  operated, 
though  machinery  was  contemplated  to  be  introduced  for  that  pur- 
pose. This  device  of  an  alphabet  by  spaces  of  time  between  sparks, 
evinced  remarkable  ingenuity,  and  differs  in  some  degree  from  either 
Morse's  or  House's,  though  much  nearer  in  principle  to  the  former. 

It  seems  that,  in  1830,  Booth,  in  Dublin,  explained  fully  how  elec- 
tro-magnetism could  be  used  to  telegraph  at  a  distance,  and  cause  marks 


APPENDIX.  223 

to  be  made  by  the  fall  of  the  armature  from  the  horseshoe  magnet 
when  the  circuit  was  broken.  (Syren's  Ev.  199,  r.) 

But  Barlow  had  failed  of  success  in  England  from  want  of  more 
power,  and  following  out  the  new  idea  to  increase  the  power  of  the 
magnet  by  closer  coils  of  wire  and  otherwise,  and  when  the  want  of 
greater  power  to  operate  farther  and  quicker,  and  at  less  expense, 
seemed  the  chief  desideratum,  Moll,  in  1830,  succeeded  in  making  a 
magnet  which- would  sustain  75  Ibs.,  and  soon  after  150  Ibs.,  and  Prof. 
Henry,  in  1831,  completed  one  that  could  sustain  a  ton.  (Hibbard, 
Ev.  30,  a,  20 ;  Prof.  Sill  201.)  During  this  last  year,  also,  Faraday  had 
matured  fully  the  horseshoe  magnet,  and  caused,  under  Saxton,  at  a 
distance,  a  strong  circular  motion,  and  brought  magnetic  electricity 
almost  to  maturity. 

While  all  these  clearly  preceded  what  took  place  in  the  Sully,  and 
remove  very  much  all  novelty  in  some  of  the  ideas  then  suggested, 
yet  it  is  certain  that  there  yet  remained  to  be  constructed,  on  these 
or  other  principles,  some  practical  machine  for  practical,  popular,  and 
commercial  use,  which  would  communicate  to  a  distance  by  electro- 
magnetism,  and  record  quickly  and  cheaply  what  was  thus  communi- 
cated. 

From  that  time  forward,  Morse  is  entitled  to  the  high  credit  of 
making  attempts  to  do  this,  however  imperfectly  informed  he  may 
then  have  been  of  what  had  already  been  accomplished  towards  it ;  and 
he  has  the  still  higher  credit,  among  the  experimenters  from  that  time 
to  1837,  of  having  then  succeeded  in  perfecting,  what  he  describes  at 
that  time  in  his  caveat  and  specification.  Laboring  on  the  same  sub- 
ject, and  before  1838,  Sturgeon,  in  1832,  had  formed  a  rotary  "  electro- 
magnetic machine,"  which  gave  motion  to  working  models  of  ma- 
chinery so  as  to  pump  water,  saw  wood,  and  draw  weights.  He  had 
batteries  of  zinc  and  electric  currents  from  them,  and  magnets  with 
attraction  and  repulsion.  (3  An.  of  Elect.  433 ;  1  do.  75.)  And  Baron 
de  Schilling,  the  same  year  or  the  next,  constructed  an  electric  tele- 
graph at  St.  Petersburg,  which  had  36  magnetic  needles,  and  sounded 
alarms,  and  made  signals  by  the  deflection  of  the  needle,  which  indi- 
cated letters  by  numbers.  (VaiTs  Hist.  155;  Hibbard' s  EC.  31 ;  Chan- 
wing,  EC.  41.)  In  1833,  Dr.  Sculther,  at  Zurich,  caused  a  pendulum 
motion  between  two  horseshoe  magnets  (3  An.  of  Elec.  433),  and 
Eitchie,  with  various  others,  showed  how  increased  power  could  be 
cheaply  created  and  used  at  a  distance.  (Barrett's  Evi.  214.)  And 
Prof.  Henry  made  experiments  for  this  object  with  success,  and  ex- 
plained that  the  fall  of  the  weight  or  armature  would  ring  bells,  &c. 
(19  Sill.  Jour.  329 ;  3  An.  of  Elec.  430.)  Gauss  &  Weber  constructed 
the  first  magnetic  telegraph  at  Grottingen  the  same  year,  carrying  the 
wires  above  ground  and  over  houses,  and  making  signs  for  letters. 
( VaiVs  Hist.  158 ;  3  An.  of  Elec.  449  ;  Hibbard's  Ev.  31,  a.)  Some  of 
their  wires  are  still  standing.  (Gould's  Ev.  67-9.)  And  in  1834,  Jacobi 
made  one  similar  in  some  respects.  (1  An.  of  Elec.  410 ;  3  An.  of  Elec. 
434.)  And  Mr.  Gurly,  at  Dublin,  made  another,  and  in  1836,  Taquin 
and  Eutychaussen  carried  another  over  the  streets  of  Vienna.  (  Vail's 
Hist.  159.)  All  which  remained  to  complete  what  was  desirable  in  a 


224  APPENDIX. 

tracing  or  writing  telegraph  at  a  distance,  was  to  make  dots  or  marks, 
intelligible  or  significant  of  letters  and  words,  so  as  to  be  read  or  trans- 
lated with  ease,  and  to  perform  the  operation  with  useful  speed. 

To  make  dots  and  color  them  by  the  paper  being  chemical  had 
already  been  discovered,  but  not  an  alphabet  in  connection,  unless  by 
Dyer  in  1828  (3  An.  of  Elec.  450) ;  nor  a  movement  of  the  paper  on 
a  roller,  so  as  to  make  the  dots  and  marks  successive,  unless  by  him 
with  the  hand.  The  struggle  was  such  in  1837,  to  finish  what  was 
wanted,  that  Morse  became  alarmed  lest  others  might  first  complete 
and  obtain  patents  for  the  invention,  and  hence  proceeded  more  ac- 
tively with  his;  and  in  1837  filed  his  caveat,  in  the  month  of  October. 
(Gale's  Ev.  123.)  In  the  same  year,  whether  earlier  or  later  is  not 
known,  Alexander  formed  an  electric  telegraph  by  which,  through 
signals  somewhat  like  House's,  he  communicated  and  spelled  out  at  a 
distance  the  word  Victoria.  (  VaiVs  Hist.  184.)  See  evidence  that  this 
was  done  earlier,  •  using  a  key-board,  and  letters  on  each  key  like 
House's.  (Evidence,  83,  a.)  Davenport,  too,  in  Vermont,  announced 
another,  and  obtained  a  patent  in  1838  (3  An.  of  Elec.  535);  and  M. 
Cooke,  Wheatstone,  and  Steinheil,  some  using  the  needle,  deflected ; 
some  making  dots  and  lines ;  and  some  using  the  ground  and  water  for 
a  part  of  the  circuit.  (See  same  articles  in  Vail  and  the  Annals  before 
cited.)  Cooke  and  Wheatstone  took  out  a  patent  for  theirs  in  June, 
1837,  making  the  deflection  of  the  needle  point  to  letters  on  a  board. 
(Hibbard,  Ev.  31.) 

Steinheil,  that  year,  had  at  the  Koyal  Observatory,  an  electro-mag- 
netic telegraph,  half  a  mile  long,  on  poles.  (  Vail,  179.)  This  made  dots 
and  short  marks  on  paper,  and  preceded  Morse's  caveat,  according  to 
Dr.  Charming1  s  Evidence,  48,  a,  rec.,  and  Hibbard,  Ev.  27,  a,  31-2  (being 
before  July  19,  1837),  Gould,  Ev.  from  7,  a,  to  8,  a. 

It  used  the  ground  as  a  part  of  the  circuit  which  had  been  before 
discovered,  but  which  Morse  does  not  appear  to  describe  or  claim,  till 
his  first  renewal  in  1848.  (Dr.  Channing,  Ev.  54,  a.) 

Nor  did  Morse  use  poles,  or  posts  at  first,  in  1844,  when  construct- 
ing a  telegraph  between  Baltimore  and  Washington.  (Averts  Ev.  125, 
rec.)  Though  they  were  used  by  Steinheil  before  1839,  and  by  Dyer, 
even  in  1828  (Cornell,  Ev.  64,  a;  Channing,  Ev.4&,  a);  and  were  sug- 
gested to  Morse,  early  as  1830,  by  Prof.  Henry,  89,  r ;  yet  Morse  thinks 
he  himself  invented  them.  (59,  r.)  After  all  this,  there  still  was  want- 
ing a  more  perfect  succession  of  marks  to  be  made  or  recorded,  which 
were  letters  themselves,  or  signs  of  letters,  intelligible  by  an  alphabet  and 
power  obtained  and  applied  so  as  to  do  it  quick  enough  for  purposes 
of  business.  (Chilton,  Ev.  286;  Gates  Ev.  124;  RenwicWs  Ev.  234-5.) 
This  deficiency  was  at  length  supplied. 

Among  about  sixty-two  competitors  to  the  discovery  of  the  electric 
telegraph  by  1838  (as  computed  in  Channing 's  Ev.  41,  a),  Morse  alone, 
in  1837,  seems  to  have  reached  the  most  perfect  result  desirable  for 
public  and  practical  use.  (R.  6,  Morse's  Ev.  128-9,  r.)  This  may  not 
have  been  accomplished  so  wholly  by  the  invention  of  much  that  was 
entirely  new  as  by  "  improvements,"  to  use  the  language  of  his  patent, 
on  what  had  already  been  done  on  the  same  subject,  improvements,  in- 


APPENDIX.  225 

genious,  useful,  and  valuable.  By  the  needle,  or  lever  instead,  not 
only  deflected  by  the  magnet,  but  provided  with  a  pen  to  write,  or,  in 
other  words,  a  pin  at  the  end  to  make  a  dot  or  stroke,  when  thus  de- 
flected as  the  circuit  was  held  longer  closed  or  broken,  with  machinery 
to  keep  the  paper  moving  in  the  mean  time,  and  so  as  to  inscribe  the 
dots  and  lines  separately,  and  more  especially  with  an  alphabet,  in- 
vented and  matured,  assigning  letters  and  figures  to  these  dots  and 
lines  according  to  their  number  and  combination,  he  accomplished  the 
great  desideratum.  (1  Renwick,  Ev.  235.)  Thus  the  fortunate  idea 
was  at  last  formed  and  announced,  which  enabled  the  dead  machine  to 
move  and  speak  intelligibly,  at  any  distance,  with  lightning  speed. 

It  will  be  seen  that,  amidst  all  these  efforts  at  telegraphic  communi- 
cation by  electricity  and  electro -magnetism,  more  or  less  successful 
from  1745  to  1838,  none  had  attained  fully  to  what  Morse  accomplished. 

Some  had  succeeded  in  sending  information  by  signals,  even  beyond 
the  decomposition  of  water  and  the  declivity  of  the  needle.  They  had 
made  persons  at  a  distance  recognize  the  sign  used,  and  thus  obtain 
intelligence.  They  had  also  made  marks  at  a  distance.  But  in  no 
way  does  it  appear  that  they  had  sent  information  at  a  distance,  and 
at  the  same  moment,  by  the  same  machine,  traced  down  and  recorded 
it  permanently  and  intelligibly,  and  quickly.  This  triumph  was  re- 
served to  Morse's  inflexible  perseverance  in  experiments  and  close 
observation ;  and  chiefly  after  arming  the  end  of  the  needle  or  lever 
with  a  pin,  by  use  of  a  roller  with  appropriate  machinery  to  move  his 
paper,  so  as  to  trace  successive  dots  and  marks,  and  by  a  stenographic 
alphabet  to  explain  the  marks  made  on  the  paper,  and  by  more  power 
through  his  combined  circuits,  to  effect  all  at  a  greater  distance,  and 
with  greater  dispatch.  (Gale's  Ev.  123,  r.)  Afterwards,  by  the  im- 
provements in  batteries  by  Daniell  and  Grove,  in  1843,  he  was  enabled, 
without  these  local  circuits,  to  increase  the  power  of  the  electro-mag- 
net so  as  to  accomplish  this  at  any  distance,  and  with  a  speed  and 
economy  which  rendered  the  invention  applicable  to  general  use. 
(Jackson's  Ev.  166.)  Before  1843,  Hare's  battery  was  used,  and  was 
too  feeble  (Jackson's  Ev.  164,  v.  Charming*  s  Ev.  45,  v),  and  before  that 
Cruikshank's.  The  want  of  this  increased  power  had  rendered  former 
attempts  at  times  abortive  for  practical  purposes ;  and  its  being  re- 
cently supplied  by  the  science  of  Faraday  and  Henry,  tended  more 
speedily  by  Daniell  and  Grove's  battery,  founded  on  them,  to  remove 
the  greatest  obstacle  to  success.  (Davis"1  s  Manual,  p.  125 ;  Silliman's 
Ev.  95,  v;  Jackson,  166.) 

Others  had  before,  and  about  the  same  time,  as  has  been  noticed  al- 
ready, made  marks  on  paper  at  a  distance  by  the  deflection  of  the 
needle,  and  by  sparks,  and  attached  special  meanings  to  them,  and  the 
spaces  between  them.  But  the  evidence  is  strong  that  Morse's,  if  not 
the  very  first,  in  these  respects,  was  the  most  perfect  and  available  for 
practical  use,  and  the  improvements  by  others  in  batteries  came  very 
opportunely  to  aid  in  its  power  for  distant  operations,  beyond  what 
even  the  local  circuits  had  done.  (Prof.  Sillimarfs  Ev.  96,  a.)  His 
15 


226  APPENDIX. 

special  advance  beyond  others,  except  some  new  combination,  looks  as 
if  chiefly  mechanical,  but  still  it  sufficed  to  promote  the  desired  object. 

By  them  and  his  new  combinations,  he  was  going  a  step  farther 
than  any  of  his  predecessors,  for  practical  use,  had  accomplished ;  and 
this  entitles  him  to  protection  and  the  fame  he  has  achieved.  This  he 
and  his  assignees  can  therefore  protect,  but  not  particulars  known  long 
before  him,  or  which  he  neither  claimed,  nor  described,  nor  invented. 
As  before  explained,  he  must  not  be  considered  to  have  claimed  the 
.invention  of  the  general  principle  or  art  of  telegraphing  by  electro- 
magnetism,  nor  could  he,  as  already  shown,  have  protected  it  if  he  had. 
But  all  he  clearly  claimed  was  "  a  method"  of  doing  it,  "  an  improve- 
ment" in  doing  it,  and  these  he  has  a  right  to  protect,  and  these  only. 
They  were  the  pin,  to  mark  or  trace  in  the  end  of  his  lever  or  needle, 
a  happy  thought,  but  the  movement  of  the  paper  on  a  roller  was  almost 
as  necessary  to  receive  marks  in  succession,  and  his  alphabet  to  be 
thus  applied  and  used  was  the  crowning  art  of  his  invention.  (Ren- 
wick,  Ev.  244,  p.) 

Much  more  might  be  offered  as  to  the  details  of  Morse's  machinery, 
and  as  to  those  inventions  existing  before  and  since,  and  how  far  the 
latter  have  been  imitative  or  independent.  But  it  is  not  necessary  to 
explain  or  discuss  them,  for  the  purpose  of  settling  the  present  case. 

It  is  certain,  that  in  1837,  he  had  so  far  completed  his  invention  as 
to  announce  it  in  his  caveat,  and  have  it  described  also  by  a  brother, 
in  a  public  paper  called  the  Observer ;  and  in  Sillimaris  Journal  And 
that,  though  a  specification  followed  in  '38,  and  a  patent  in  '40,  with- 
out putting  it  in  operation  for  practical  purposes,  yet,  by  the  aid  of 
Congress  in  1844,  it  was  successfully  used  from  Baltimore  to  Wash- 
ington. It  thus  became  perfected  and  turned  to  practical  account ; 
and  is  to  be  protected  to  its  legitimate  extent,  against  every  real  viola- 
tion. 

However  ingenious,  then,  have  been  some  of  the  attacks  on  the 
originality  of  Morse's  invention,  and  however  cogent  may  be  some  of 
the  objections  to  its  validity  on  other  grounds  urged  in  argument  by 
the  defendants,  I  do  not  find  it  necessary,  as  before  remarked,  to  give 
an  opinion  on  them  in  this  case.  Because,  considering  Morse's  patent 
as  good,  if  limited  to  the  extent  claimed  in  his  specifications,  as  we 
have  construed  it  on  this  occasion,  and  as  we  feel  bound  to  construe 
it  on  the  law  of  the  case  and  the  evidence  before  us,  and  considering 
it  as  original  to  the  extent  we  have  already  explained,  the  situation  of 
the  House  machine,  as  used  by  the  defendants,  is  such  as  to  render  no 
farther  examination  useful  concerning  the  first  two  points. 

The  character  of  House's  machine,  and  more  especially  as  com- 
pared with  Morse's,  does  not  seem,  to  a  very  wide  extent,  to  have  been 
fully  examined  and  understood. 

Having  ascertained  with  some  care  what  must  be  considered  the 
real  claim  of  Morse  in  his  patent,  and  how  much  of  it  is  new,  we  are 
prepared  better  to  decide  the  chief  and  final  inquiry,  what  there  is  in 
the  machine  used  by  the  defendants,  and  alleged  in  their  answer  to  have 
been  invented  by  House,  which  violates  what  is  novel  in  Morse's. 


APPENDIX.  227 

Firstly :  What  is  meant  in  law  by  a  violation  or  infringement  of  a 
patent  ? 

It  would  amount  to  an  infringement  of  such  an  invention  as  Morse's 
or  the  patent  for  it,  to  adopt  his  mode  of  acting,  operating,  &c.,  or 
merely  to  change  it  by  substituting  some  mechanical  equivalent  in  a 
part  of  it,  or  altering  only  the  form  and  proportion  so  as  not  materi- 
ally to  affect  results,  or  making  any  change  merely  evasive,  colorable, 
and  not  "substantial"  or  "considerable"  in  its  character.  (Jupe  vs. 
Pratt,  Webster's  Cases,  146-9 ;  Neikan's  Case,  342 ;  1  Mason,  470 ;  1 
Gallis,  478.)  But  one  machine  or  manufacture  is  not  a  violation  of 
another,  within  the  purview  of  the  patent  system,  unless  it  is  substan- 
tially the  same.  It  need  not  be  identical,  but  it  must  be  similar  in  the 
principle  or  mode  of  operation. 

When  its  results  differ  favorably  and  considerably,  it  is  considered 
that  there  must  be  an  improvement  involved  in  it  over  and  beyond  the 
other ;  or  this  could  not  happen.  So  when  its  mode  of  operation  is 
unlike  the  other  in  material  respects,  the  author  of  it  is  not  culpable, 
and  is  of  course  not  guilty  of  any  mechanical  piracy. 

The  same  latitude  for  farther  inventions  and  improvements  is  open 
to  others  as  were  open  to  Mr.  Morse  himself.  He  was  allowed  to  make 
any  improvement  on  his  predecessors;  and  others  are  equally  allowed 
to  make  any  improvement  on  him.  To  be  sure,  if  his  improvement 
was  engrafted  on  a  machine  or  manufacture  before  made  and  patented, 
he  could  use  or  patent  only  his  improvement,  and  not  what  had  been 
previously  patented,  without  obtaining  first  a  license  or  purchase  from 
the  patentee.  So  of  others  in  relation  to  him.  But  if  his  machine  did 
not  merely  amount  to  an  improvement  on  others,  but  to  more,  and  did 
constitute  a  new  and  useful  combination,  he  had  a  right  to  use  it  with- 
out license  from  others.  (36  Lond.  Journ.  of  Arts,  130,  Eden,  et  al.  vs. 
De  Costa  et  al)  So  as  to  others,  in  respect  to \  their  improvements 
after  his. 

But  is  the  new  combination  when  the  patent  is  for  that,  not  violated 
when  only  parts  of  it  are  used  by  others  and  not  all  of  them,  which 
are  material?  (Prouty's  Case,  16  Peters.) 

Scrutinizing  these  two  machines  together,  the  defendants  insist  that 
House's  operates  on  a  principle  radically  different  from  Morse's ;  that 
its  results  are  greatly  superior ;  and  that  it  resembles  Morse's  in  no- 
thing which  did  not  exist  before  Morse's  invention,  and  which  was  not 
produced  before  by  others  rather  than  by  him. 

In  answer  to  this,  it  is  true,  that  the  general  object  of  the  two  is  the 
same,  and  so  is  it  with  all  rival  inventions.  But  this,  of  course,  does 
not  necessarily  make  all  new  inventions  or  patents  for  a  like  object  an 
encroachment  on  all  previous  ones.  Such  a  doctrine  would  discourage 
progress,  rather  than  encourage  useful  arts,  as  the  Constitution  wishes 
to  be  done,  by  granting  patents. 

It  would,  after  one  invention  as  to  the  same  subject,  or  same  prin- 
ciple or  art,  halt  and  bar  all  farther  advances  on  the  same  subject. 

It  would  petrify  everything  as  it  stood,  to  the  great  loss  of  mankind, 
and  in  derogation  of  both  private  and  public  rights  to  advance  human 
improvements  and  human  power.  It  would,  also,  render  the  first  im- 


228  APPENDIX. 

prover  a  monopolist,  and  exclude  the  exercise  or  reward  of  farther 
genius,  science,  and  labor,  in  the  same  line,  however  useful,  and  how- 
ever much  needed  beyond  what  has  already  been  accomplished. 

But  limit  the  doctrine,  as  we  have  done  already,  to  the  particular 
improvement  made,  and  the  patentee  of  it  is  allowed  to  protect  that 
improvement,  as  he  ought  to  be,  it  being  his  own  invention,  his  own 
property,  and  the  fruit  of  his  own  exertion,  though,  of  course,  it  does 
not  protect,  and  should  not,  a  monopoly  of  what  else  may  have  been 
invented  by  others  before,  or  may  be  invented  by  them  afterwards  on 
the  same  subject.  The  chief  care  must  be,  while  allowing  others  their 
rights,  to  shield  his,  and  not  let  others  claim  or  use  his  method  or  im- 
provement colorably  or  fraudulently,  but  only  use  what  is  substan- 
tially different.  Elec.  Tel.  Co.  vs.  Little  et  al.,  34  Land.  Journ.  of 
Arts,  130.) 

Analyzing  and  comparing  these  inventions  together  in  particulars, 
it  will  be  difficult  to  designate  anything  in  House's  which  in  point  of 
law  or  fact  amounts  to  a  violation  of  the  other  under  the  principles  of 
well  settled  law,  applicable  to  the  subject  which  we  have  laid  clown. 

It  is  certain,  on  examination  of  the  two  machines,  that  they  appear  to 
the  eye  entirely  unlike,  except  in  some  particulars  as  to  wires,  magnets, 
and  batteries,  which  were  in  existence  and  use  before  Morse's  inven- 
tion, or  have  been  since  improved  by  others. 

It  is  certain,  too,  that  Morse's  is  less  complicated,  and  easier  intelligi- 
ble, while  House's  is  very  difficult  to  be  comprehended  in  its  operations 
in  detail,  and  works  with  the  addition  of  two  more  powers,  one  air,  and 
the  other  called  axial  magnetism. 

Indeed  the  difference  is,  in  these  respects,  so  strongly  marked  to  the 
eye  and  to  the  mind,  that  while  Morse's  can  readily  be  understood  by 
most  mechanics  and  men  of  science,  it  requires  days,  if  not  weeks 
with  some,  thoroughly  to  comprehend  all  the  parts  and  movements  of 
House's. 

And  House's  without  any  patent,  has  been  sufficiently  protected 
thus  far  from  piracy  by  the  apparent  inability  of  others  to  imitate  it 
with  success.  , 

It  is  manifest  still  farther,  that  while  Morse's  operates  rapidly  and 
records  in  a  species  of  hieroglyphic  or  stenography,  which  has  to  be 
translated  into  English,  House's  moves  much  faster,  and  at  the  astonish- 
ing rate  of  60  or  70  strokes  or  breaks  in  a  second,  and  at  once  records 
the  information  by  its  own  machinery  in  Koman  letters.  It  literally 
gives  "  letter's  to  lightning"  as  well  as  "  lightning  to  letters."  In  short 
the  system  of  Morse  in  one  respect,  viz.:  in  its  tracing  or  writing,  is 
essentially  different  as  to  its  mode  of  recording  from  that  of  House's, 
and  depends  on  machinery  and  devices  original  in  Morse.  Whereas, 
House  does  not  copy  this,  either  in  form  or  substance,  but  records  in 
a  different  manner,  and  by  new  machinery,  and  by  aid  of  one  new 
power  in  axial  magnetism,  and  of  another  old  but  different  power  in  air, 
applied  in  a  new  way.  And  it  does  this  in  letters,  not  signs,  and 
with  wonderful  speed  and  accuracy.  This  was  a  thing  attempted  be- 
fore Morse  or  House,  and  to  a  certain  extent  realized,  though  not  then 
by  the  same  powers,  nor  then  perfected  so  as  to  be  useful.  (See  Alex- 


APPENDIX.  229 

ander's,  and  others  before  described.)  To  be  more  minute,  as  before 
indicated,  the  chief  principle  or  characteristic  of  Morse  is  that  by  its 
type  rule,  or  knob  spring  at  the  starting-place,  it  is  able  to  make  dots 
and  lines,  by  breaking  the  circuit,  for  a  shorter  or  longer  time,  and 
then  being  felt  along  the  wires  to  the  other  end,  trace  there  on 
paper,  passing  over  or  under  the  needle  or  pin,  at  the  end  of  the  lever 
like  dots  or  lines,  which  remain  on  it  permanently  written,  to  be  after- 
wards by  the  stenographic  alphabet  translated  into  Roman  letters  and 
words. 

This  does  not  appear  ever  to  have  been  accomplished  before,  so 
as  to  be  turned  to  practical  account,  though  developed  in  part  and 
approximated  as  before  described.  (See  Steinheil  and  others.)  But 
House's  makes  no  such  tracing  at  either  end  of  the  circuit.  It  acts 
at  both  ends  by  means  of  signals,  and  traces  nothing,  and  at  the  closing 
end  by  the  power  of  air,  operating  on  the  type-wheel,  it  literally  prints 
the  letter  signalized  on  the  rim  of  the  wheel. 

Such  signals  were  known  and  some  used  long  before  Morse's  patent, 
and  they  are  here  perfected  and  printed  by  House  in  a  manner  exceed- 
ingly ingenious,  rapid,  and  interesting. 

Without  going  into  fuller  details  in  explanation  of  the  principle  in 
House's  machine,  operating  so  unlike  Morse's  (for  which  see  Bordoris 
Ev.  5  a,  at  length),  it  may  suffice  to  add,  that  the  machine  of  the  former, 
at  the  starting-point,  does  not  trace  any  marks  or  dots  and  lines,  but 
has  signal  letters  stamped  on  twenty-four  keys,  like  those  of  a  piano. 
The  operator  touches  one  of  these  so  as  to  hold  the  circuit  closed  till 
by  means  of  the  machinery  the  same  signal  letter  is  presented  at  the 
other  end  on  the  rim  of  the  type-wheel,  where  twenty-four  letters  are 
separately  attached.  There  the  signal  letter  is  not  then  traced  on  the 
paper,  like  Morse's,  by  the  movement  and  tracing  which  have  taken 
place  at  the  other  end,  but  this  real  letter  on  the  type-wheel  is  itself 
printed  on  the  paper,  and  others  in  rapid  succession  follow  till  the 
word  and  sentences  appear,  as  the  paper  rolls  onward,  printed  in  per- 
fect form. 

It  will,  therefore,  be  manifest  that  one  machine — Morse's — traces  at 
the  distant  end  what  is  traced  at  the  other ;  while  House's  does  not 
trace  at  either  end,  but  makes  a  signal  of  a  letter  at  the  distant  end 
which  has  been  made  at  the  other,  and  thus  by  new  machinery,  and  a 
new  power  of  air  and  axial  magnetism,  is  enabled  to  print  the  signal 
letter  at  the  last  end ;  and  this  with  a  rapidity  marvellous,  and  at  the 
same  time  novel  and  practicable  for  commercial  use.  In  short,  one  is 
a  tracing  or  writing  telegraph,  the  other  a  signal  and  printing  telegraph. 
This  distinction  between  writing  and  printing  may  not  be  very  mate- 
rial for  some  purposes  when  a  name  or  assent  is  wanting  on  paper,  as 
under  the  Statute  of  Frauds,  or  in  voting.  (4  Pick.  813,  and  Hale  vs. 
Hale,  4  Wood  and  Min.) 

Yet  the  art  of  writing  is  a  very  different  one  from  the  art  of  print- 
ing ;  the  latter  being  a  modern  invention,  and  the  former  a  very  ancient 
one,  and  every  one  knows  that  the  process  to  perform  each  rests  on 
principles  wholly  different.  (Grossman's  Ev.  Ill,  r ;  Boynton,  Ev.  120.) 
Again,  it  must  be  conceded  that  House  uses  a  moving  power,  such  as 


230  APPENDIX. 

the  other  does,  for  some  purposes,  when  employing  electro -magnetism 
between  two  stations.  But  this  had  long  been  employed  by  others  for 
a  like  purpose  before  Morse  or  House  used  it ;  and  hence  the  conduct 
of  the  latter  in  this  respect  is  no  infringement  on  anything  original 
and  duly  patented  by*the  former. 

There  are  other  material  differences.  The  rest  of  the  machinery 
in  one,  that  is  in  Morse's,  is  simple,  and  in  some  respects  new ;  while 
the  rest  in  the  other,  that  is  in  House's,  is  complicated,  is  aided  by  new 
forces  and  causes  new  results,  though  founded  on  a  theory  of  signaliz- 
ing older  than  either  of  these  inventions. 

In  the  next  place,  an  objection  urged  against  House's  is,  that  if  not 
like  Morse's  in  most  material  respects,  it  is  in  all  of  them  a  mere  equiva- 
lent.    By  equivalents  in  machinery  is  usually  meant  the  substitution 
of  merely  one  mechanical  power  for  another,  or  one  obvious  and  cus- 
.j         /  tomary  mode  for  another  of  effecting  a  like  result. 

^  «-»  That  these  two  machines  are  not  equivalents  seems  manifest  from  a 
\>**y  fact,  admitted  in  the  argument,  and  testified  to  by  Foss  (142,  rec.),  a 
witness  for  the  plaintiff,  that  though  by  some  changes  House's  could 
A*wt4°  all  which  Morse's  does,  yet  Morse's  could  not  be  made  to  do  all 
/^9^which  House's  does.     (Channing^s  Ev.  60,  a.) 

ooking,  also?  into  details,  it  is  manifest,  that  differences  exist  be- 
tween  Morse's  and  House's,  which  consist  of  nothing  resembling  equiva- 
lents such  as  the  different  results  produced  by  each  on  the  recording 
paper,  and  this  by  a  different  mode  of  operation,  and  by  the  assistance 
of  two  different  powers.  Another  difference  which  prevents  the  two 
from  being  equivalents,  is  not  only  the  want  in  Morse's  of  much  that 
is  in  House's,  but  vice  versa.  Besides  what  the  latter  omits,  before 
enumerated,  he  throws  away  entirely  the  "  U"  magnet,  as  well  as  other 
parts  of  Morse's  as  a  combination.  (Renwick,  Ev.  240 ;  Chilton,  Ev. 
286.) 

Among  other  material  things,  not  used  by  House,  which  are  used 
by  Morse,  and  show  the  machines  neither  identical  nor  equivalent,  are 
a  local  circuit,  one  of  the  two  galvanic  batteries  and  one  of  the  circuits 
of  conductors,  the  mode  of  closing  and  opening  the  circuit,  the  pen  and 
lever,  &c.  &c.  (Byrne,  200-1 ;  Renwick,  Ev.  236.  Reynolds1  s  Ev.  268 
to  271.) 

Again,  most  if  not  all  which  House  uses,  that  is  in  Morse's,  was 
known  before  Morse's  patent.  (Philip's  Ev.  298,  record ;  see  others 
below;  Hibbard,  Ev.  27,  a ;  Channing,  Ev.  38,  a.) 

Where  House  uses  powers  and  machinery,  known  before  Morse,  he 
does  not  use  the  same  or  an  equivalent,  which  Morse  invented  or  can 
protect.  He  has  the  same  right  to  use  all  known  and  not  patented 
before  as  Morse  had. 

See  what  was  thus  known.  (Hibbard's  Ev.  27,  a ;  Henry,  Ev.  125,  a. 
See  the  use  of  different  parts,  not  new  in  Morse,  Ch.  B.  Morse,  83  to  5 ; 
Henry,  93,  156,  223 ;  Hare,  96;  Jackson,  158 ;  Byrne,  197 ;  Barrett,  202 ; 
Renwick,  232 ;  Borden,  3  to  8,  a ;  Channing,  38,  a.) 

Among  them,  we  have  already  seen  where  the  wires  and  the  circuit, 
the  galvanic  battery,  the  use  of  the  posts  and  the  ground  for  a  part  of 
the  circuit,  the  brakes  in  it  by  various  devices,  as  by  lifting  the  wire 


APPENDIX.  231 

out,  or  a  blow,  the  making  of  signals  and  marks,  the  paper  and  the 
clock-work,  and  the  needle  deflected  if  not  the  lever.  (See  history 
before  given.  Hibbard,  Ev.  27,  a;  Charming,  Ev.;  Henry's  Ev.  213; 
Barrett,  214,  202.)  There  had  been,  too,  in  use  in  other  business, 
numerous  arrangements  and  machines  for  self-recording,  such  as  gaso- 
meters for  measuring  the  gas  used,  registers  of  tides  and  the  quantity  of 
rain  falling,  or  work  of  certain  kinds  performed,  direction  of  winds, 
distances  travelled  by  men  or  carriages,  &c.,  &c.  (Bordon,  Ev.  7,  a.) 
Some  of  these  resembled  much  Morse's  system  of  marks  on  paper. 
(Charming'' s  Ev.  40,  a.)  And  to  imitate  those  by  like  means  would  be  per- 
missible, though  not  by  new  means  or  machinery  obtained  from  Morse. 

It  would  likewise  be  difficult  to  consider  House's  as  identical  or 
equivalent  with  Morse's,  when  he  uses  neither  of  the  new  and  distin- 
guishing parts  in  Morse's,  viz :  the  pin  in  the  level  or  needle  to  trace 
or  record  characters,  nor  the  stenographic  alphabet  to  make  them 
intelligible.  (Hibbard,  Ev.  28,  a.) 

House  also  uses  some  things,  which  seem  new  and  peculiar  to  his 
machine  and  prevent  it  from  being  a  mere  equivalent.  (Barrett,  Ev. 
204-5 ;  Renwick,  244 ;  Hibbard,  Ev.  26.) 

The  supposed  new  discovery  and  use  by  House  of  axial  magnetism, 
operating  perpendicularly  within  a  cylinder,  covered  by  coils  of  wire, 
and  helping  to  produce  the  astonishing  number  of  54  to  84  vibrations 
in  a  second,  is  claimed  to  be  important  and  to  aid  materially  in  the 
operations  of  his  machine.  (Reynolds,  Ev.  274.)  How  that  may  be 
must  be  decided  by  experts,  where  necessary,  as  also  the  importance 
of  the  air  and  air  apparatus  which  he  employs.  It  is  true  that  air  is 
old  as  creation,  and  its  use,  as  a  moving  power,  almost  coeval  with 
navigation,  but  the  employment  of  this  all-pervading  and  nearly 
spiritual  element  in  telegraphic  machinery  to  move  by  its  vacuums* 
with  superhuman  strength  and  speed,  and  contribute  to  print  rather 
than  speak  ideas,  may  be  new  and  original. 

But  it  does  not  seem  useful  on  this  occasion  to  go  into  details  con- 
cerning either  of  them,  considering  how  the  machines  stand  on  other 
grounds  and  their  external  appearance  in  connection  with  it. 

Indeed,  we  are  compelled  by  the  history  of  this  subject,  and  the 
most  decisive  weight  of  evidence  on  the  stand,  to  believe  what  is  cer- 
tainly not  in  accordance  with  our  own  previous  general  impressions, 
that  much  we  supposed  new  in  connection  with  both  of  these  machines 
is  not  new,  nor  to  be  protected  against  use  by  others.  For  instance : — 

The  use  of  electro -magnetism  generally  for  communicating  intelli- 
gence at  a  distance  and  there  recording  it,  is,  as  heretofore  shown,  not 
new  to  either  Morse  or  House.  The  idea  had,  as  already  explained, 
been  long  perceived  prior  to  the  experiments  of  either.  But  the  want 
of  a  sufficient  power  to  operate  at  a  great  distance,  till  after  the  dis- 
covery of  galvanism,  and  the  electro-magnet,  prevented  its  complete 
success  for  practical  objects,  leaving  it  rather,  as  then  called,  a  "  phi- 
losophical toy"  in  most  places.  After  this  discovery  and  improve- 
ment, the  want  of  mechanism  to  repeat  the  breaks  rapidly  enough  for 
general  use  and  mark  down  the  results,  presented  difficulties.  To  be 
sure,  the  marking  down  a  dot  at  the  distant  end,  made  at  the  starting- 


232  APPENDIX. 

place  was  known  by  the  deflection  of  a  needle  and  other  devices,  such 
as  the  spark,  though  not  with  the  pin  and  the  kind  of  machinery 
throughout,  used  by  Morse,  or  with  the  stenographic  alphabet  invented 
by  Morse.  So  the  signal  of  a  letter  at  one  end  plainly  understood  at 
the  other,  was  known  before  House's  invention,  but  never  made  to 
work  with  the  speed  of  his,  and  to  print  that  letter  as  well  as  know  it, 
at  the  distant  place  where  it  was  signalized. 

The  lever,  of  which  so  much  is  said,  seems  only  the  old  needle  de- 
pressed at  one  end  by  the  magnet,  and  of  course  elevated  at  the  other 
till  the  circuit  is  broken  ;  and  by  putting  a  pin  or  a  pen  in  the  last  end, 
a  dot  or  stroke  is  made  on  the  paper  polling  above  or  below,  and  the 
stenographic  signs  are  then  recorded.  One  other  view  to  illustrate 
whether  House  has  or  has  not  encroached  on  what  Morse  invented,  and 
we  shall  be  done  with  this  mode  of  investigating  this  branch  of  the  sub- 
ject. From  the  examination  made,  it  appears  that  the  novelties  in 
Morse's  patents  are,  first  local  circuits,  and  for  these  his  last  patent 
seems  chiefly  to  have  been  taken  out ;  secondly,  recording  or  writing 
at  a  distance  by  electro-magnetism ;  and,  thirdly,  doing  it  by  a  regular 
stenographic  alphabet  on  rolling  paper.  Now,  as  to  the  local  circuits, 
they  are  not  used  at  all  by  House. 

As  to  the  tracing  or  writing  at  a  distance  in  any  way  and  by  the  aid 
of  electro-magnetism  alone,  it  is  not  the  mode  in  which  House's  ma- 
chine operates.  But,  on  the  contrary,  it  records  by  a  distinct  art,  viz : 
the  art  of  printing,  and  by  means  of  two  additional  powers  in  axial 
magnetism  and  in  air,  and  by  new  and  different  machinery.  To  be 
sure,  he  uses  also  the  power  of  electro-magnetism,  but  Morse  did  not 
invent  that  power  or  its  employment  in  telegraphing. 

Lastly,  as  to  a  stenographic  alphabet,  as  invented  and  used  by 
'Morse,  it  is  manifest  that  it  is  not  employed  by  House  at  either  end 
of  his  line,  but  the  ancient  Roman  letters  unchanged  and  unmodified 
in  any  respect  whatever. 

It  seems  thus  demonstrable,  that  all  which  Morse  appears  entitled  to 
protect  as  new  is  untouched  by  House. 

If  we  proceed  next  to  the  opinion  of  experts,  whether  House  in- 
fringes on  Morse,  or,  in  other  words,  whether  the  principle  of  the  two 
X?    machines  be  unlike  or  not,  there  seems  to  be  a  remarkable  prepon- 
derance in  favor  of  House's  machine.     Mr.  Morse  is  a  gentleman,  not' 
or  educated  specially  to  any  branch  of  science,  but  having  the  general 

information  of  a  man  liberally  taught,  and  a  highly  ingenious  mind. 
(Prof.  Silliman's  Ev.  94,  a.)  He  was  a  painter  by  profession,  according 
to  his  evidence,  (48,  r,)  and  beside  him,  regarding  House  as  infringing, 
is  only  Mr.  Foss,  an  assistant  in  working  one  of  his  machines,  but  a 
baker  and  grocer  till  1845.  (Foss's  Ev.  134.)  These  are  all  against 
House's  machine :  and  neither  of  them  seems  to  be  experts,  such  as 
usually  are  relied  on  to  give  scientific  opinions  rather  than  mere  facts. 
On  the  other  hand,  and  that  the  principles  of  the  two  machines  are 
clearly  unlike,  are  numerous  experts,  including  some  of  the  most  ex- 
perienced and  talented  men  in  this  line  of  science  in  the  country,  and 
some  of  them  also,  very  practical  men.  They  all,  twelve  or  fourteen 
in  number,  unite  in  the  conclusion,  that  Jhe  principle  of  the  two  is 


APPENDIX.  233 

wholly  different.  (See  Borden,  Ev.  8,  a;  record  2,  a;  Harvey,  Ev.  322; 
Philip's  Ev.  307,  97;  Eddy,  Ev.  59;  Chilton,  286,  292;  Channing,  44, 
a;  Hibbard,  27,  a;  32,  a;  Byrne,  199,  201;  Avery,  1Q ;  Barrett,  204 ; 
tfoMZd;  68,  a;  Reynolds,  271;  Renwick,  240;  Jackson,  165.) 

Some  consider  the  two  as  unlike  as  "a  goose-quill  is  to  a  printing- 
press."  (Borders  Ev.  7,  a.)  And  several  of  them  express  a  decided 
opinion  that  House's  is  superior,  some  think  as  a  work  of  science,  some 
as  a  piece  of  mechanism,  and  some  as  to  its  practical  utility.  (Chiltorfs 
Ev.  286 ;  Byrne,  198-9  ;  Harvy's  Ev.  224,  230 ;  Barretts  Ev.  205,  219  ; 
Philip's  Ev.  303,  311,  298;  Lindsay,  311 ;  3  Andrews,  109;  Grossman, 
106  ;  Jackson,  165.)  Though  more  complicated,  its  results  are  in  Koman 
letters  and  require  no  translation,  its  speed  in  action  is  greater,  and  it 
is  not  so  liable  to  mistakes  in  transmitting,  or  construing  and  copying. 
Many  of  the  patents  or  inventions  which  have  been  upheld,  are  such 
slight  changes  from  former  modes  or  machines  as  to  be  tested  in  their 
material  diversity,  chiefly  by  their  better  results,  such  as  the  flame  of 
gas  rather  than  of  oil,  the  hot  blast  rather  than  the  cold,  charcoal  used 
in  making  sugar,  hot  water  in  place  of  cold  in  making  cloth,  &c.  &c. 
(Web.  Ca,  409;  5  Mason  1;  1  Wood  and  Mm.  Devol  vs.  Brown;  3  Wash. 
197 ;  1  Peters,  0.  C.  394.) 

The  meaning  attached  to  the  word  "  principle,"  may  lead  to  a  part 
of  the  difference  expressed  by  Messrs.  Morse  and  Foss.  (  Webs.  Pat. 
43,  note,  and  342,  v.  g.)  But  the  larger  number  concurring  in  a  dif- 
ferent view,  and  the  definition,  which  the  law,  as  heretofore  explained, 
requires  us  to  place  on  the  favored  principle,  in  the  patent  system,  leave 
no  doubt,  that  setting  aside  the  use  of  wires,  batteries,  and  electro-mag- 
iiets,  which  neither  Morse  nor  House  invented,  their  machines  or  im- 
provements rest  on  principles  in  some  respects  totally  and  clearly  unlike. 

Again,  regarding  Morse's  as  a  new  combination  of  old  parts,  or  im- 
provements with  one  new  part,  invented  by  him,  which  is  perhaps 
nearest  the  truth,  it  is  then  manifest  that  if  House's  does  not  adapt  the 
new  part,  or  all  the  different  elements  of  the  new  combination,  it  is 
not  an  infringement.  (Curtis  on  Pa.  93  ;  Barrett  vs.  Hall,  1  Mason,  447.) 

In  order  to  violate  a  new  combination,  all  the  material  parts  of  it 
must  be  used,  or  that  is  not  used  which  the  patentee  claimed  as  neces- 
sary to  constitute  his  new  improvement.  As  before  shown,  on  the 
evidence,  it  cannot  be  pretended  that  House  uses  at  all,  many  things 
material  in  Morse's,  such  as  the  "  U  magnet,"  "  the  clock-work,"  the 
lever,  the  pin,  or  pen,  or  type  rule,  or  local  circuits.  The  last  machine, 
then,  in  such  a  case,  being  in  parts,  in  principle,  and  combination  so 
unlike  the  first,  except  the  general  use  of  electro-magnetism,  invented 
by  neither,  cannot  be  regarded  as  an  infringement  on  the  first,  but  its 
author  has  the  same  right  to  invent  and  employ  it  as  the  author  of  the 
first  had  to  invent  that.  The  public,  too,  as  well  as  men  of  genius 
have  the  same  right  to  make  and  employ  still  farther  improvements  in 
telegraphing  by  electro-magnetism,  and  in  recording  the  results,  as 
Morse  had  in  1832,  or  1838,  or  1840. 

All,  however,  must  take  care  not  to  use  anything  which  Morse  him- 
self invented,  but  only  like  him  use  the  fruits  of  their  own  persever- 
ance and  ingenuity. 


234  APPENDIX. 

While  they  do  not  go  beyond  this,  as  the  defendants  under  House 
do  not  appear  to  have  done  in  this  case,  the  plaintiff,  as  assignee  of 
Morse,  is  not  entitled  in  equity  to  the  extraordinary  remedy  of  an  in- 
junction to  stop  forever,  the  operations  under  House's  machine. 

On  the  evidence  presented  to  me  on  both  sides,  and  after  a  careful 
examination  of  that  and  the  legal  principles  which  should  govern  my 
decision,  I  have  been  forced  into  the  conclusion,  contrary  to  my  pre- 
vious impressions,  that  the  defendants  have  not  been  proved  guilty  of 
any  such  wrong. 

If  I  have  fallen  into  an  error  in  this  conclusion,  I  deeply  regret  it, 
but  it  is  some  satisfaction  to  reflect  that  it  can  easily  be  corrected ;  for 
any  views  expressed  by  me  in  this  case  in  Equity  can  not  only  be 
revised  by  another  tribunal,  the  Supreme  Court,  and  if  erroneous, 
corrected ;  but  another  remedy  exists  at  law,  if  the  plaintiff  supposes 
he  will  be  able  to  prove  there  with  clearness,  that  the  House  patent  is 
a  violation  of  the  principles  involved  in  Morse's. 

A  decision  by  the  District  Judge  of  Kentucky  has  been  cited  for 
the  plaintiff  on  some  of  the  points  of  this  case.  But  as  the  defendants 
were  not  parties  to  it,  and  as  it  related  to  another  telegraph  than  House's, 
it  cannot  bind  the  defendants,  and  cannot,  on  any  legal  question,  be 
an  authority  to  govern  this  Court,  though  its  reasoning  has  received, 
and  is  entitled  to  respectful  consideration,  where  it  refers  to  any  legal 
principle. 

Injunction  refused. 

'  By  the  following  decision  of  the  Judicial  Committee  of  the  Privy 
Council,  it  will  be  seen  that  Messrs.  Cooke  and  Wheatstone  were  refused 
an  extension  of  their  patent,  on  the  ground  of  their  having  been  "suffi- 
ciently remunerated,  and  that  the  Electric  Telegraph  had  not  been  so 
poor  an  investment  as  we,  have  been  led  to  believe  by  the  English 
Press,"  as  the  shareholders  have  received  a  bonus  of  £15  per  share, 
besides  the  usual  dividend  of  4  per  cent,  on  £300,000. 

The  Electric  Telegraph  Company  sought  to  obtain  the  prolonga- 
tion of  letters  patent  which  had  been  granted  to  William  Fothergill 
Cooke  and  Charles  Wheatstone  on  the  12th  of  June,  1837.  The  books 
of  the  petitioners  were  made  up,  it  appeared,  and  balanced  to  the  31st 
December,  1850,  and  the  subjoined  statement  will  show  the  receipts 
and  disbursements  of  the  petitioners  since  the  introduction  of  the 
electric  telegraph : — 

Receipts  from  the  railway  companies  for  their 

use  of  the  company's  patents,  £122,285  13     2 

Receipts  from  maintenance  and  sundries,  7,301  13     1 

£129,587    6    3 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  the  company  have 
received  gross  profits  on  the  erection  of  tele- 
graphs for  railway  companies  amounting  to  40,747  4  2 

Less  charges,  including  part  of  the  law  and 

parliamentary  expenses,  34,319     6     7 

6,427  17     7 


Making  the  total  receipts  £136,015     3  10 

Total  amount  paid  for  patents  £167,688    9     0 


APPENDIX.  235 

Showing  that,  after  crediting  the  patent  account  with  the 
above-mentioned  amount  of  £40,747  4s.  2d.  received  for 
erections,  the  total  payments  have  exceeded  the  total  re- 
ceipts by  31,673  5  2 

The  company  have  in  their  books  charged  the  capital  account 
of  their  commercial  telegraph  with  £33,603  10*.  M.  as  the 
estimated  value  of  the  patent  employed  therein.  If  this 
nominal  charge  be  added  to  the  amount  of  actual  receipts,  as 
above  stated,  the  patent  account  will  then  show  an  apparent 
surplus  for  all  patents  of  1,930  5  6 

The  commercial  telegraphs  have  yielded  dur- 
ing  the    three   years  which    have   elapsed 
since  the  commencement  of  their  working 
a  total  gross  return  of                                       £103,444     711 
At  charges  amounting  to                  83,265     6  11 
Showing  a  surplus  of  20,179     1     0 

"Which  surplus  of  20,179?.  Is.  is  the  total  net  return  upon  a  capital 
of  104,229?.  17s.  Sd. — the  actual  cost,  but  much  more  than  the  present 
value  of  the  patent — the  amount  actually  expended  in  the  erection  of 
the  commercial  telegraphs;  or  upon  a  capital  of  137,833?.  8s.  4d  if  the 
patent  account  is  to  have  the  benefit  of  the  above  nominal  charge  of 
33,603?.  105.  Sd. 

The  evidence  which  was  adduced  in  support  of  the  petitioners'  case 
was  chiefly  directed  to  show  the  reasonable  charges  made  by  the  com- 
pany, and  the  accuracy  of  the  accounts. 

Their  lordships  decided  that,  as  the  patentees  themselves  had  been 
sufficiently  rewarded,  the  company — who  derived  their  right  from  them 
— had  no  locus  standi,  and  therefore  refused  the  application. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  Newton1  s  Patent  Journal,  giving 
the  result  of  an  interesting  trial  in  connection  with  the  Telegraph  above 
described.  I  understand  from  good  authority  that  the  Electric  Tele- 
graph Company  have  compromised  and  paid  Brett  and  Little  for  their 
improvements,  and  intend  employing  them  in  addition  to  their  tele- 
graph. 

Opinion  of  JUSTICE  CKESSWELL,  in  the  Case  of  The  Electric  Telegraph 
Company  vs.  Brett  and  Little. 

Judgment  delivered  by  Mr.  Justice  Cresswell  as  follows :  This  was 
an  action  brought  by  the  plaintiffs  against  the  defendants  for  the  in- 
fringement of  a  patent.  The  patent  was  granted  in  1837  to  Messrs. 
Cooke  and  Wheatstone,  for  "improvements  in  giving  signals  and 
sounding  alarms  in  distant  places,  by  means  of  electric  currents  trans- 
mitted through  metallic  circuits,"  and  was  afterwards  assigned  to  the 
plaintiffs.  The  action  was  tried  at  the  sittings  after  Hilary  term,  1850, 
before  Lord  Chief-Justice  Wilde,  and  a  verdict  was  then  found  for  the 
plaintiffs ;  and  in  answer  to  certain  questions  put  to  the  jury  by  the 
learned  judge,  certain  special  matters  were  found,  on  which  the  de- 
fendants had  leave  to  move  to  enter  the  verdict  for  the  defendants.  A 
rule  nisi  was  accordingly  obtained,  to  which  cause  was  shown ;  and  in 
the  argument  the  chief  question  raised  was,  what  was  the  proper  ver- 
dict to  be  entered  in  respect  of  the  special  matters  found  by  the  jury 


236  APPENDIX. 

in  answer  to  the  questions  of  the  Lord  Chief-Justice.  To  the  third 
question,  which  was  material,  the  jury  found  that  the  magnetic  ring  and 
indicator  of  the  defendants  was  a  different  instrument  from  the  needle 
claimed  in  the  specification  of  the  plaintiffs'  patent;  and  they  also 
found,  in  answer  to  the  fourth  question,  that  "  the  sending  of  signals 
to  the  intermediate  stations  was  new  to  the  plaintiffs,"  by  which  ex- 
pression was  to  be  understood  that  it  was  a  new  invention  of  the 
patentees.  The  jury  also  found,  in  answer  to  the  fifth  question,  "that 
the  angular  motions  of  the  needles  in  vertical  planes  or  horizontal 
axles,  conjointly  with  the  stops,  was  new  to  the  plaintiffs,"  meaning 
that  it  was  a  new  invention  of  the  patentees.  In  answer  to  the  sixth 
question,  they  found,  "  that  as  a  whole  the  defendants'  system  of  com- 
municating with  one  wire  and  two  needles  was  not  the  same  as  the 
plaintiffs'."  It  was  insisted  by  the  plaintiffs  on  showing  cause,  that  on 
these  findings  they  were  entitled  to  retain  the  verdict  in  respect  to  the 
answers  on  the  fourth  and  fifth  questions.  It  appeared  that  the  de- 
fendants, by  means  of  duplicate  coils  and  apparatus  at  the  intermediate 
stations,  had  sent  signals  to  all  the  intermediate  stations,  as  well  as  be- 
tween the  terminal  stations,  and  that  they  used  an  instrument  moving 
in  a  vertical  plane,  called  "  a  magnetic  ring  and  indicator,"  producing 
nearly  the  same  result  as  the  needle  described  in  the  plaintiffs'  specifi- 
cation. The  jury,  however,  having  found  that  the  magnetic  ring  and 
indicator  was  a  different  instrument  from  the  needle  used  by  the  plain- 
tiffs, the  defendants  insisted  that  their  use  of  it  was  no  infringement  of 
the  plaintiffs'  patent.  The  objection,  however,  mainly  relied  upon, 
was,  that  the  plaintiffs'  specification  protected  only  the  patentees'  im- 
provements as  applied  to  metallic  circuits,  and  that  if  the  electric  cur- 
rent was  transmitted  by  improved  machinery,  not  by  a  circuit  wholly 
metallic,  the  improvements  might  be  used  without  an  infringement  of 
the  patent.  The  defendants  using  the  earth  to  complete  the  circuit  of 
the  electric  current,  did  not  use  a  metallic  circuit,  and,  therefore,  they 
denied  that  the  use  of  the  plaintiffs'  other  improvements  was  an  in- 
fringement of  the  patent.  This  was  a  grave  objection,  but  the  court 
was  of  opinion,  after  full  consideration,  that  it  ought  not  to  prevail. 
At  the  time  of  the  grant  of  the  patent  the  transmission  of  electric  cur- 
rents through  metallic  circuits  was  known,  and  also  that  the  power  of 
the  current  might  be  increased  by  coils  in  the  wire.  The  discovery 
that  the  earth  would  complete  .the  circuit  of  the  current  between  the 
two  ends  of  the  wire  struck  into  the  ground,  was  made  after  the  grant 
of  the  patent.  The  patentees  did  not,  therefore,  claim  the  invention  of 
metallic  circuits,  but  only  improvements  in  the  method  of  using  elec- 
tric currents — the  currents  being  transmitted  by  a  means  open  to  the 
public.  The  circuit  used  by  the  defendants,  so  far  as  it  operated  in 
giving  signals,  and  in  all  the  parts  to  which  the  plaintiffs'  improve- 
ments applied,  was  metallic  :  and  it  was  not  a  necessary  condition  that 
the  residue  of  the  circuit  should  be  metallic.  The  specification  which 
claimed  and  described  the  invention  was  to  be  more  strictly  construed 
than  the  title  of  the  patent,  and  the  court  thought  that  the  specification 
sufficiently  comprehended  all  the  circuits  that  were  metallic,  as  far  as 
it  was  material  to  the  improvements  claimed  that  they  should  be  so. 


APPENDIX.  237 

And  with  regard  to  the  use  of  the  term  "metallic  currents,"  in  the 
title  of  the  patent,  the  coxirt  thought  the  title  gave  sufficient  notice  to 
any  person  acquainted  with  the  discovery,  or  who  had  invented  similar 
improvements  to  the  patentees',  to  put  him  on  his  guard  as  to  the 
nature  of  the  plaintiffs'  patent,  and  lead  him  to  inquire  how  far  any 
contemplated  improvements  would  infringe  it.  The  court  thought  it 
but  reasonable  to  hold  that  a  claim  for  a  patent  for  improvements  in 
the  mode  of  doing  something  by  a  known  process,  was  sufficient  to 
entitle  the  claimant  to  a  patent  for  his  improvements,  when  applied 
either  to  the  process  as  known  at  the  time  of  the  claim,  or  to  the  same 
process  altered  and  improved  by  subsequent  discoveries.  The  next 
objection  was,  that  the  plaintiffs'  patent  was  for  a  system  of  giving 
signals  by  means  of  several  wires  and  converging  needles  pointed  to 
certain  letters ;  whereas,  the  defendants  used  one  wire,  and  made  signals 
by  counting  the  deflections  of  the  needle,  which  was  found  by  the  jury 
to  be  a  different  system.  The  court  thought  this  objection  founded 
on  a  wrong  discussion  of  the  specification,  which  showed  the  patent  to 
be  not  for  a  system  of  giving  signals,  but  for  certain  distinct  and  speci- 
fied improvements  comprehending  those  now  in  question.  The  court, 
therefore,  thought  the  objections  ought  not  to  prevail  to  the  grounds 
on  which  the  plaintiffs  claimed  the  verdict  in  respect  to  vertical  needles 
and  of  the  use  of  duplicates  at  intermediate  stations.  It  might  be 
doubtful  whether  the  plaintiffs  could  claim  the  verdict  with  regard  to 
the  use  of  vertical  needles  by  the  defendants,  considering  the  finding 
of  the  jury  ;  but  the  court  thought  that  the  use  of  duplicate  apparatus 
at  the  intermediate  stations,  which  the  jury  found  to  be  a  new  inven- 
tion, and  which  undoubtedly  the  defendants  had  used,  entitled  the 
plaintiffs  in  this  respect  to  keep  their  verdict.  If,  however,  the  de- 
fendants' discovery  enable  intermediate  stations  to  send  as  well  as  re- 
ceive signals,  that  was  a  very  important  improvement,  for  which  the 
inventor  might  probably  be  entitled  to  a  patent,  though  he  might  not 
be  entitled  to  use  it  except  by  the  license  of  the  patentee  of  the  less 
perfect  invention  on  which  the  latter  invention  was  grounded.  For 
these  reasons  the  court  thought  the  plaintiffs  entitled  to  retain  their 
verdict,  and  the  rule  must  be  discharged.  Rule  discharged. 


SAMUEL  F.  B.  MORSE  AND  ALFRED  VAIL  vs.  F.  0.  J.  SMITH. 

The  defendant  became  an  owner  of  one-fourth  part  of  the  Morse 
Patent  in  1838.  The  agreement  between  him  and  the  owners  of  the 
residue  was  special,  and  contained  various  covenants  on  the  part  of 
each  party.  In  1845,  the  plaintiffs  severally  appointed  Amos  Kendall 
their  attorney,  to  manage  their  interests  in  the  telegraph  and  all  matters 
connected  therewith. 

Difficulties  having  occurred  between  the  parties  in  the  management 
of  their  joint  interests,  several  agreements  were  entered  into  between 
them  on  the  22d  of  June,  1847,  commonly  called  the  division  contracts, 
by  one  of  which  the  defendant  was  to  have  full  and  exclusive  power  to 
bargain,  sell,  and  convey  any  and  all  routes  for  the  construction  and 


238  APPENDIX 

use  of  Morse's  Patents,  and  of  all  improvements  thereon,  not  then  sold, 
or  placed  under  contract,  in  all  the  territory  of  the  U.  States,  bounded 
on  the  south  by  the  route  extending  from  Pittsburgh  to  St.  Louis,  via 
Wheeling,  Columbus,  Cincinnati,  and  Louisville;  then  to  St.  Louis,  by 
any  route  the  defendant  should  select,  and  on  the  west  and  north  by 
the  western  and  northern  boundaries  of  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Michigan, 
and  Ohio,  and  on  the  east  by  the  eastern  boundary  of  Ohio,  to  the  in- 
tersection of  the  telegraph  route  from  Wheeling  to  Columbus,  opposite 
Wheeling ;  also,  all  within  the  boundaries  of  New  York  and  New  En- 
gland. The  like  power  and  authority  was  given  to  Mr.  Kendall,  to 
bargain,  sell,  and  convey  any  and  all  other  routes,  within  all  the  re- 
maining territory  of  the  several  States  of  the  Union,  then  existing. 

The  contract  prescribed  the  manner  of  disposing  of  such  lines,  of 
realizing  payments  therefor,  and  of  accounting  to  each  other  for  their 
portion  of  the  proceeds. 

Difficulties  arose  between  the  parties  in  relation  to  the  accounts  of 
each  against  the  other  under  these  contracts.  The  plaintiffs  complained 
of  the  manner  in  which  defendant  had  exercised  the  powers  conferred 
by  these  contracts ;  of  the  terms  on  which  he  had  authorized  new  routes 
to  be  constructed ;  of  his  allowing  the  patent  to  be  used  without  first 
obtaining  payment  therefor ;  of  his  failure  to  perform  covenants  on  his 
part  contained  in  these  contracts,  and  of  various  other  matters  enume- 
rated in  their  complaint.  The  complaint  prayed  for  a  judgment,  that 
the  joint  interests  of  the  parties  be  severed  and  divided,  by  a  just  and 
equitable  partition  and  division  of  territory ;  for  an  accounting,  in 
reference  to  their  joint  dealings  and  transactions ;  that  defendant  be 
charged  with  three-fourths  of  certain  amounts  alleged  to  have  been 
received  by  him  for  various  enumerated  telegraph  lines  constructed 
within  the  territory  allotted  to  him ;  and  for  an  injunction  restraining 
him  from  collecting  or  receiving  the  amount  due  for  the  price  of  the 
patented  invention  on  the  New  York  and  Erie  line;  or  from  taking 
any  steps  to  subvert  or  invalidate  the  patent ;  or  from  making  any 
farther  sale  of  plaintiffs  interest  in  the  patented  invention,  in  any  part 
of  the  territory  assigned  to  him  under  the  division  contracts,  or  from 
exercising  any  farther  power  under  such  contracts. 

A  temporary  injunction,  according  to  the  prayer  of  the  complaint, 
was  issued  when  the  suit  was  commenced,  and  this  was  a  motion  to 
continue  it  until  the  hearing.  The  very  clear  and  able  opinion  of 
Judge  Bosworth  will  be  found  in  these  columns. 

In  this  statement  we  have  not  pretended  to  give  any  accurate  idea 
of  the  various  and  particular  frauds,  or  the  abuse  of  power,  alleged,  or 
breaches  of  contracts  charged ;  but  a  consideration  of  the  matters  as- 
signed by  the  court,  in  their  reasons  for  denying  an  injunction,  will 
enable  the  reader  to  better  understand  what  points  are  decided,  and 
their  bearing  on  the  controversy.  The  motion  was  heard  on  the  com- 
plaint, and  on  answering  and  rebutting  affidavits.  These  and  other 
papers  used  on  the  argument,  covered  nearly  two  thousand  printed 
pages,  and  related  to  all  the  transactions  between  the  parties  in  rela- 
tion to  the  telegraph,  from  the  time  the  defendant  became  a  part  owner, 


APPENDIX  239 

and  to  almost  every  line  of  telegraph  in  the  United  States,  constructed 
under  their  authority,  or  that  of  either  of  them. 

Superior  Court.  Argued  May  Term,  1852,  before  Sanford,  Duer,  and 
Bosivorth,  JJ.  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse  and  Alfred  Vail  vs.  Francis  0. 
J.  Smith.  Decided  Nov.  20,  1852.  Justice  Sanford  died  'in  July, 

1852. 

By  the  Court,  Bosworth,  J. — The  court  is  asked  to  enjoin  the  de- 
fendant from  doing  any  farther  acts  or  exercising  any  farther  power 
under  either  of  the  contracts  of  the  date  of  June  22,  1847,  and  also 
from  collecting  or  receiving  the  amount  due  for  the  price  of  the  patent 
on  the  line  of  telegraph  from  New  York  to  Fredonia,  commonly  known 
as  the  New  York  and  Erie  Line. 

Unless  the  court,  in  the  proper  exercise  of  its  discretion,  is  called 
upon  to  restrain  the  defendant  in  these  respects,  the  motion  for  an  in- 
junction should  be  denied,  and  the  temporary  injunction  heretofore 
granted  should  be  wholly  dissolved. 

For,  if  enough  is  not  shown  to  justify  an  interference  of  the  court  to 
prevent  the  defendant  from  acting  farther  under  the  contracts  of  June 
22, 1847,  it  would  be  improper  to  enjoin  him  from  taking  any  steps  to 
invalidate  or  subvert  the  patent,  as  such  an  act  of  the  court  would,  by 
implication,  impute  to  the  defendant  the  existence  of  a  purpose  to  act 
most  disreputably  towards  his  co-proprietors.  This  the  court  could 
not  properly  do,  if  it  did  not  feel  at  liberty,  on  the  case  made  by  the 
papers  used  on  this  motion,  to  restrain  him  from  acting  farther  under 
the  authority  conferred  by  the  division  contracts. 

One  of  these  contracts  gives  to  the  defendant  "full  and  exclusive 
power  to  bargain,  sell,  or  convey  any  and  all  routes  for  the  construc- 
tion and  use"  of  the  patent,  not  then  sold  or  placed  under  contract 
within  a  specified  part  of  the  United  States,  and  to  Amos  Kendall,  the 
agent  of  Morse  and  Vail,  the  like  power  within  all  the  remaining  ter- 
ritory of  the  several  States  of  the  Union  existing.  That  contract,  by 
its  terms,  was  to  continue  in  force  six  years  from  its  date ;  it  will  expire 
by  its  limitation  on  the  22d  of  June,  1853. 

It  cannot  be  pretended  that  any  misrepresentations  are  proved  to 
have  been  made,  or  any  fraud  to  have  been  practiced,  by  Smith,  to  in- 
duce the  plaintiffs  or  their  agent  to  enter  into  any  of  the  contracts  of 
the  date  of  June  22,  1847,  signed  by  either  of  them,  which  would  jus- 
tify the  court  in  rescinding  them  on  the  ground  that  the  plaintiffs,  or 
their  agent,  were  induced  to  enter  into  either  of  them  by  the  misrepre- 
sentations or  fraud  of  Smith. 

There  is  no  just  ground  for  holding  that  the  defendant  is  not  able 
to  respond  to  the  plaintiffs  for  the  amount  of  any  claim  which  they  may 
be  able  to  establish  against  him  under  either  of  those  contracts,  or  under 
that  by  which  he  became  a  part  owner  of  the  patent. 

If  the  defendant  ought  to  be  enjoined,  in  whole  or  in  part,  as  prayed 
by  the  complaint,  it  is  not  in  consequence  of  any  fraud  contemporane- 
ous with  the  contracts  of  June  22,  1847,  which  would  of  itself  be  suf- 
ficient to  avoid  them,  but  it  must  be  for  the  reason  that  his  subsequent 


240  APPENDIX. 

/ 

conduct  is  a  clear  perversion  and  abuse  of  the  powers  which  they  con- 
fer upon  him,  or  that  his  management  of  the  joint  interests  in  his  own 
territory  has  been  such  as  tends,  and  if  continued  will  tend,  to  render 
ineffectual  any  judgment  in  favor  of  the  plaintiffs  for  such  relief  as 
they  would  be  entitled  to  upon  the  case  made  by  the  papers  before  us. 

The  two  important  matters  which  form  the  basis  of  the  most  grave 
complaints  made  against  the  defendant  are  the  construction  of  the  New 
York  and  Erie  Telegraph  Line,  and  his  neglect  to  settle  the  O'Reilly 
controversy,  and  the  motives  and  purposes  imputed  to  him  for  his  acts 
in  the  one  case,  and  his  omission  to  act  in  the  other.  Many  other  va- 
rious acts  and  contracts  of  the  defendant  which  are  a  subject  of  com- 
plaint, and  charged  to  have  been  done  with  a  fraudulent  intent,  are 
alleged  to  have  been  parts  and  parcel  of  a  scheme  of  fraud,  whose 
existence  wholly  depends  upon  the  question  whether  the  New  York 
and  Erie  Line  was  as  between  those  parties,  wrongfully  constructed, 
and,  on  the  part  of  the  defendant,  with  the  grossly  fraudulent  purposes 
imputed  to  him. 

The  New  York  and  Erie  Line  is  charged  to  be  a  fraud  on  the  plain- 
tiffs, on  the  ground,  as  is  alleged,  that  at  the  time  of  making  the  divi- 
sion contracts,  the  parties  only  contemplated  in  authorizing  new  lines, 
the  construction  of  such  as  would  be  side  lines,  or  lines  tributary  to 
those  previously  contracted,  or  contemplated  as  main  arteries  of  com- 
munication, and  that  the  defendant  had  authorized  this  to  be  constructed 
as  a  new  main  line,  and  with  a  view  of  drawing  off  from  existing  main- 
lines (in  which  the  plaintiffs  were  large  stockholders),  their  legitimate 
business,  and  taking  it  over  lines  of  which  the  defendant  was  substan- 
tially the  sole  proprietor ;  and  that,  by  the  terms  of  the  contract  for 
the  building  of  this  line,  the  defendant,  on  its  completion,  would  become 
the  owner  of  a  large  portion  of  its  stock,  while  the  plaintiffs  would  have 
no  interest  in  it,  and  would  only  be  benefited  at  the  rate  of  $37-J  per 
mile,  the  price  to  be  paid  for  interest  in  the  patent. 

The  right  of  the  defendant  to  authorize  the  construction  of  precisely 
such  a  line  as  this,  or  of  so  much  of  it  as  falls  within  the  territory 
allotted  to  him,  has  never  been  denied,  but  has  been  at  all  times  con- 
ceded, provided  it  was  built  as  a  side  line,  and  under  a  contract,  with 
proper  provisions  and  stipulations,  to  secure  its  continued  use  as  a  side 
line. 

It  cannot  be  charged  that  there  had  been  anything  secret  or  stealthy, 
on  the  part  of  the  defendant,  in  making  the  contract  for  the  continua- 
tion of  this  line,  or  that  he  has  attempted  to  conceal  its  terms,  or  his 
purpose,  from  the  outset,  to  make  it  a  main  artery  of  communication. 
The  purpose  to  make  it  a  great  artery  of  western  lines  with  the  Atlantic 
cities,  was  publicly  advertised  as  early  as  the  15th  of  August,  1847, 
and  a  copy  of  the  published  notice  was  communicated  at  the  time,  by 
the  defendant,  to  Mr.  Kendall. 

Mr.  Kendall,  under  the  date  of  August  22,  in  his  reply  to  the  de- 
fendant's letter  inclosing  this  notice,  stated  his  opinion  that  the  mea- 
sures and  policy  proposed  by  defendant,  might  bring  the  O'Keilly 
concern  to  a  pause,  but  remarked  that  it  was  his  "  duty  to  look  at  the 
possible  consequences  of  some  of  them :  If,  in  a  fight  with  O'Reilly, 


APPENDIX.  241 

the  business  appropriate  to  the  direct  line  from  Philadelphia  to  St.  Louis, 
shall  be  diverted  to  other  lines,  depreciating  the  stock  of  the  former, 
and  you  should  then  propose  to  pay  my  principals  in  that  stock,  it  would 
be  in  violation  of  the  equity  of  your  contract  with  them.  In  this  view, 
it  is  my  duty  to  object  to  all  such  arrangements ;  besides,  I  doubt  the 
policy  of  the  announcement  that  the  line  along  the  Erie  Railroad  is  to 
be  a  main  line.  Its  tendency  is  to  induce  a  coalition  between  Faxtoii 
and  the  O'Reilly  concern ;  and  I  am  not  sure  that  it  would  be  quite  just 
to  the  New  York  and  Buffalo  Company,  and  would  not  involve  you  in 
difficulties  with  them." 

This  shows  a  purpose,  openly  avowed  at  the  time  by  Smith,  to  make 
this  a  main  line,  and  that  this  purpose  was  specially  communicated  to  the 
agents  of  the  plaintiffs.  It  also  shows  the  precise  ground  of  objection 
then  taken  on  behalf  of  the  plaintiffs.  No  objection  was  made  that  the 
parties  to  the  division  contracts  contemplated  the  sale  of  side  lines  only, 
or  that  there  was  any  legal  or  equitable  impediment  to  its  construction 
as  a  main  line,  but  it  was  alleged  that  if  it  had  the  effect  to  draw  off 
from  the  line,  from  Philadelphia  to  St.  Louis,  its  legitimate  business, 
and  thus  depreciate  the  value  of  the  stock  of  the  last-named  line,  it 
would  be  inequitable  to  afterwards  insist  that  the  plaintiffs  should 
receive  such  stock  in  payment,  according  to  the  terms  of  one  of  the 
division  contracts. 

To  understand  the  point  of  this  objection,  as  well  as  the  merits  of 
other  matters  controverted  in  this  motion,  it  is  proper  to  remark  that 
in  June,  1838,  all  the  owners  of  the  patent  entered  into  a  contract  with 
O'Reilly,  by  which  he  undertook  to  construct  a  telegraph  line,  to  be 
worked  by  the  Morse  patent,  from  Philadelphia,  through  Harrisburg 
to  Pittsburg,  thence  through  Wheeling  and  Cincinnati  to  St.  Louis, 
and  also  to  the  principal  towns  on  the  Lakes.  The  proprietors  of  the 
patent  were  to  be  paid,  for  the  right  to  use  it  on  this  line,  one-fourth 
part  of  so  much  stock  as  should  be  issued  to  represent  the  capital  re- 
quired to  construct  a  line  of  two  wires,  and  one-half  of  the  stock  issued 
on  the  capital  employed  to  construct  such  additional  wire.  Prior  to 
the  execution  of  the  division  contracts,  the  owners  of  the  patent  had 
become  dissatisfied  with  O'Reilly,  and  claimed  and  acted  on  the  assump- 
tion that  he  had  forfeited  his  contract,  and  all  rights  under  it.  By  one 
of  the  division  contracts,  the  other  owners  of  the  patent  sold  to  Smith 
all  their  rights  in  any  contract  before  made  by  them  for  the  use  of  the 
patent  on  the  line  (among  others)  specified  in  the  O'Reilly  contract ; 
and  Smith,  on  his  part,  undertook  to  hold  them  harmless  from  any  and 
all  claims  of  or  liability  to  O'Reilly  under  his  contracts  with  the  owners 
of  the  patent,  and  to  cause  all  of  O'Reilly's  claims  to  be  settled,  at  his 
own  expense,  "amicably  or  judicially,  as  soon  as  may  be."  Smith,  as 
a  means  of  paying  in  part  for  interests  sold  to  him,  assigned  to  the 
plaintiffs  a  certain  amount  of  stock  and  right  of  certificates  to  represent 
the  same  that  should  be  thereafter  issued,  namely,  y3gths  of  such  issues 
on  the  two  first  wires  between  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburg,  and  T35ths 
of  all  that  should  be  issued  to  represent  the  interests  of  the  grantors 
of  the  patent  on  such  additional  wire  between  said  points,  and  fths  of 
f  ths  of  all  that  should  be  so  issued  on  the  two  first  wires  between  Pitts- 
16 


24:2  APPENDIX. 

burg  and  St.  Louis,  and  a  like  proportion  of  the  stock  that  might  be 
issued  to  represent  the  interest  of  the  grantors  of  the  patent  in  each 
additional  wire  between  the  points  last  named. 

Mr.  Kendall's  letter  of  August  23,  1847,  objected  to  the  inequitable 
act  of  offering  this  stock  to  his  principals  as  a  compliance  with  this 
contract,  and  before  making  the  offer,  the  Erie  line  should  have  the 
effect  to  diminish  its  value  by  drawing  from  the  line  between  Phila- 
delphia and  St.  Louis  its  legitimate  business,  and  directing  it  to  other 
lines.  This  was  the  objection  made  to  the  sale  and  the  use  of  the  patent 
on  the  Erie  as  a  main  line. 

It  is  also  proper  to  observe  that  Mr.  Smith,  having  failed  to  induce 
O'Reilly  and  his  associates  to  compromise  these  difficulties  or  to  consent 
to  arbitrate  them,  and  discontinue  operations  until  the  end  of  an  arbi- 
tration, formed  the  design,  in  addition  to  instituting  legal  proceedings 
against  O'Reilly,  and  those  who  might  attempt  to  use  Morse's  patent 
on  the  lines  constructed  by  him  or  under  contracts  made  with  him,  of 
executing  a  system  of  bold  competition,  by  constructing  competing 
lines  throughout  the  territory  embraced  in  O'Reilly's  contract,  and 
elsewhere,  and  of  arresting  his  operations  by  the  diminished  cost  of 
the  new  lines,  and  by  using  the  means  within  his  power  to  control  the 
business  that  might  otherwise  be  done  on  the  O'Reilly  lines. 

It  is  very  natural  that  in  such  a  state  of  things,  and  knowing  this 
to  be  a  leading  purpose  of  the  defendant's  system  of  competition,  Mr. 
Kendall  should  not  have  canvassed  the  purpose,  when  just  announced, 
to  make  the  New  York  and  Erie  line  a  main  line,  as  closely,  or  to  have 
considered  the  bearings  of  it  as  minutely,  or  to  have  objected  as  par- 
ticularly as  he  would  have  done,  if  there  had  been  no  controversies 
with  O'Reilly. 

But  it  would  seem  to  be  equally  obvious  that  it  must  have  been 
understood,  when  first  announced,  that  a  new  main  line  was  to  be  con- 
structed from  New  York  to  Fredonia ;  that  those  who  subscribed  on 
the  faith  of  a  contract,  that  a  right  to  use  the  patent  and  all  future  im- 
provements of  it  should  be  conveyed  to  a  company  to  represent  the 
rights  and  interests  of  the  subscribers,  would  expect  that  it  would  be 
continued  as  a  main  line  so  long  as  the  company  might  see  fit  to  keep 
it  in  operation. 

Without  intending  to  intimate  any  opinion  as  to  rights  of  the  plain- 
tiffs, or  the  liability  of  the  defendant,  under  the  agreement  to  settle  the 
O'Reilly  claims,  upon  the  evidence  presented  on  this  motion,  we  have 
come  to  the  following  conclusions: — 

First.  The  papers  before  us  do  not  show  any  intentional  omission  of 
the  defendant  to  do  any  acts  which  it  can  be  fairly  presumed  he  con- 
sidered, or  was  advised  by  his  counsel,  would  expedite  a  judicial  set- 
tlement of  the  controversy. 

Second.  They  do  not  show  that  the  proceedings  instituted  were  com- 
menced and  protracted  as  a  cover  to  a  fraudulent  scheme  to  organize 
new  companies,  and  construct  new  lines,  with  a  design  to  enhance  the 
value  of  stock  in  lines  owned  by  himself,  by  drawing  off  business  lines 
in  which  the  plaintiffs  were  large  stockholders,  and  his  own  interest 
was  relatively  nominal. 


APPENDIX.  243 

Third.  They  do  not  establish  the  fact  that,  in  refusing  the  various 
compromises  offered  by  the  O'Keilly  interests,  he  was  actuated  by  any 
purpose  of  defrauding  the  plaintiffs,  or  that  he  acted  otherwise  than  in 
accordance  with  his  convictions  of  what  was  just  and  proper  in  the 
premises,  in  view  of  all  the  consequences  that  would  have  followed  an 
acceptance  of  either  of  the  proposed  adjustments. 

Fourth.  There  is  nothing  in  the  evidence  relating  to  the  various  pro- 
positions for  an  arbitration  of  the  matters  in  controversy  between  the 
plaintiffs  and  defendant,  which  satisfactorily  establishes  the  absence  of 
a  purpose  on  the  part  of  the  defendant  to  enter  upon  a  reference  of  all 
such  matters  as  he  expressed  a  willingness  to  refer.  He  was  not  bound 
to  submit  it  to  referees  to  make  a  new  contract  as  to  a  division  or  re- 
paration of  interests.  That,  he  uniformly  and  from  the  first  refused  to 
do.  Any  and  everything  else  he  expressed  a  willingness  to  refer. 
There  is  no  pretence  for  saying  that  the  sincerity  of  his  professions  is 
falsified  by  his  conduct,  unless  it  can  be  successfully  insisted  that  the 
obstacles  which  he  alleged  existed  in  March,  1850,  to  their  entering 
without  delay  upon  a  reference,  were  unreal,  and  were  falsely  put  for- 
ward as  an  excuse  for  not  then  doing  an  act  which  he  untruly  avowed 
a  willingness  to  perform.  There  is  nothing  in  the  papers  before  us  to 
justify  such  a  conclusion. 

In  August,  1851,  the  defendant  again  suggested  a  reference.  Mr. 
Kendall  replied  that  he  would  meet  the  defendant,  and  have  a  reference 
of  matters,  provided  that  the  referees  were  given  the  power  to  adjust 
all  differences,  and  "  dissolve  all  business  connections  having  reference 
to  the  telegraph,"  and  were  to  be  governed  by  the  rules  of  law  and 
equity  as  established  by  the  court,  and  as  they  might  understand  them. 

Smith  replied,  consenting  to  a  reference  of  everything,  and  that  the 
arbiters  might  prescribe  their  own  rules  of  evidence  and  principles  of 
decision. 

To  this  Mr.  Kendall  avowed  that  he  was  not  without  doubt  whether, 
at  that  late  day,  his  principals  ought  to  consent  to  any  terms  of  arbi- 
tration which  would  allow  a  compromise  of  their  legal  or  equitable 
rights.  He  then  requested  defendant  to  draw  up  such  a  submission 
as  he  proposed,  and  said  that  on  receiving  it  he  would  invite  his  prin- 
cipals to  meet  him  "for  the  purpose  of  coming  to  a  decision." 

There  ended  all  attempts  between  the  parties  to  arbitrate.  It  can- 
not be  said  that  the  defendant  declined  to  arbitrate,  nor  is  there  any 
evidence  that  he  did  not  intend  to  do  so,  as  he  there  promised  to  do. 
After  he  had  agreed  to  refer  everything  on  the  broad  terms  proposed, 
he  is  answered  in  effect  that  the  plaintiffs  must  decide  for  themselves, 
whether  they  will  consent,  and  that  their  agent  doubts  whether  at  that 
late  day  they  ought  to  consent  to  such  arbitration. 

The  affidavits  and  other  papers  do  not  establish  the  fact  that  Smith 
did  not  expect,  at  the  time  of  contracting  with  Spread  and  Cornell,  that 
they  would  pay  in  cash  for  the  patent  according  to  their  contract,  or 
that  he  collusively  allowed  the  patent  to  be  used  on  the  line  without 
the  contract  price  for  it  being  paid. 

What  the  precise  liabilities  of  Smith  to  the  plaintiffs  may  be  in  re- 
lation to  that  line,  in  consequence  of  all  that  has  transpired,  we  do  not 


244  APPENDIX. 

intend  to  express  any  opinion ;  that  can  be  more  advisedly  formed  at 
the  hearing  on  a  full  consideration  of  all  the  facts  relating  to  that 
transaction. 

Whether  in  the  event  of  a  sale  of  the  patent  at  $50  per  mile  in  cash, 
or  at  any  other  price  deemed  reasonable  in  the  fair  exercise  of  the 
judgment  of  either  party,  it  is  not  as  just  and  proper  for  either  within 
his  own  territory  to  stipulate  in  addition,  and  for  his  own  benefit,  for 
a  part  of  the  stock  as  profits  of  construction,  as  well  as  for  a  part  of  the 
money  subscribed,  over  and  above  what  is  required  to  complete  the  lines 
and  put  them  in  operation,  it  is  not  necessary  to  decide  in  order  to 
dispose  of  this  motion ;  the  negative  of  the  proposition  is  not  so  clearly 
right,  as  to  call  upon  us  to  grant  any  part  of  the  prayer  for  an  injunc- 
tion pendente  lite,  on  that  ground. 

It  is  not  material  to  the  proper  decision  of  this  motion,  to  decide 
which  party  is  right  in  his  construction  of  the  contract  between  them 
of  March,  1838,  or  whether  either  or  both  of  them  has  violated  or 
failed  to  perform  any  of  the  covenants  on  his  part,  contained  in  it. 

The  right  to  an  injunction,  if  it  exists,  grows  out  of  acts  and  omis- 
sions to  act,  the  doing  or  omission  of  which  violate  the  rights  of  the 
plaintiffs  as  regulated  by  the  division  contracts,  and  which,  if  continued, 
would  tend  to  render  ineffectual  the  judgment  for  any  substantial  re- 
lief, which,  it  is  apparent,  or  highly  probable,  they  may  recover  on  the 
hearing  of  the  cause  on  its  merits. 

All  that  we  now  intend  to  decide  is  that  there  is  no  such  clear  proof  of 
any  of  the  acts  or  omissions  alleged  with  the  motives  imputed,  as  jus- 
tifies the  court,  at  this  stage  of  the  cause,  in  granting  any  part  of  the 
prayer  for  an  injunction.  The  motion  for  an  injunction  must  be  de- 
nied,, and  the  temporary  injunction  heretofore  granted  dissolved.  The 
costs  of  either  party  upon  this  motion  to  abide  the  event  of  the  action. 


On  the  Obligation  of  Telegraph  Companies  to  give  Testimony  respecting 
Te legrapliic  Communications. 

HENISLER  VS.  FREEDMAN. 

This  case  came  before  the  court  under  the  following  circumstances : 
A  domestic  attachment  had  been  issued  at  the  suit  of  John  E.  Henisler 
vs.  Freedman  &  Company ;  a  motion  was  made  to  dissolve  the  attach- 
ment, and  the  parties  applied  for  a  rule  to  take  depositions  before  an 
alderman.  During  the  examination  of  the  witnesses,  one  David  Brooks, 
a  manager  in  the  office  of  the  Ohio  and  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company, 
in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  was  produced  as  a  witness  for  the  plaintiff, 
before  the  alderman.  It  was  alleged  that  Max  Freedman  &  Co.  were 
absconding  debtors,  which  they  denied,  but  alleged  they  had  only  left 
the  city  for  business  purposes.  In  the  course  of  the  taking  of  testimony, 
some  evidence  was  introduced  to  show  a  fraudulent  absconding,  by  a 
witness  named  Ansfelt,  who  referred  to  certain  telegraphic  dispatches 
that  had  been  received  at  Pittsburg,  signed  by  Freedman  &  Company, 
but  whether  they  were  sent  by  these  defendants  or  not,  depended  upon 


.,    APPENDIX.  245 

the  nature  and  character  of  the  dispatches  sent  from  this  city  to  Pitts- 
burg,  to  one  of  the  partners  there.  It  was  alleged,  by  the  counsel  for 
the  plaintiff,  that  if  the  telegraphic  dispatches  were  produced,  these 
would  clearly  establish  the  points  of  their  case.  Brooks,  the  witness, 
was  subpoenaed  before  the  alderman  with  a  duces  tecum,  to  produce  the 
dispatches  sent  by  the  defendants  to  Pittsburg,  in  relation  to  the  matter. 
"When  sworn,  he  stated  that  he  was  a  manager  in  said  telegraph  office,  and 
that  the  office  had  a  connection  with  Pittsburg ;  that  he  had  dispatches 
with  him  sent  by  M.  Freedman  &  Co.,  of  this  city,  to  Freedman  &  Co., 
at  Pittsburg,  in  the  month  of  April,  1851.  He  was  then  asked,  by  the 
counsel  for  the  plaintiff,  to  produce  them;  but  the  witness,  in  answer, 
said  he  declined  doing  so,  except  at  the  request  of  the  party  who  sent 
them,  or  the  party  that  they  were  sent  to,  as  it  was  contrary  to  law,  as 
he  conceived ;  but  admitted  that  he  had  been  regularly  subpoenaed  to 
bring  the  dispatches  with  him,  and  had  them  there.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances the  examination  of  the  witness  was  suspended,  and  the 
alderman  reported  the  facts  to  the  court.  And  the  question  was  sub- 
mitted, as  a  question  of  law,  whether  the  witness  was  bound  to  produce 
the  dispatches  for  the  examination  of  the  counsel  for  the  plaintiff  before 
the  alderman,  to  establish  what  he  alleged  to  be  a  material  point  in  the 
cause,  and  one  necessary  to  establish  his  case  against  the  defendant.  It 
was  not  controverted  but  that  the  evidence  designed  to  be  adduced  by 
the  counsel  for  the  plaintiff  was  material  to  the  issue  before  the  court, 
bat  it  was  alleged  that  the  witness  had  no  right  to  disclose  any  tele- 
graphic communication,  under  the  7th  section  of  the  act  of  the  14th  of 
April,  1851.  Therefore  the  court  were  asked  by  the  counsel  on  both 
sides  to  express  their  opinion  on  the  point  of  law  thus  presented,  and 
give  a  construction  to  the  act  of  assembly. 

The  case  was  argued  by  Messrs.  Webster  and  H.  M.  Phillips  for  the 
plaintiff,  and  E.  D.  Ingraham  for  the  defendants. 

It  was  contended  by  the  plaintiff's  counsel  that  the  prohibition  under 
the  act  had  relation  solely  to  voluntary  communications,  and  was  never 
intended  to  prohibit  the  introduction  of  testimony  material  in  a  court 
of  justice.  That  the  rules  of  evidence  were  not  designed  to  be  violated 
by  this  act,  but  were  left  as  before.  It  only  prohibited  the  agents  em- 
ployed in  a  telegraph  office  from  a  wanton  abuse  of  the  confidence 
reposed. 

The  counsel  for  the  defendant  contended  that  the  act  was  broad 
enough  in  its  language  to  embrace  all  cases ;  and  a  communication  to 
a  telegraphic  operator  could  no  more  be  divulged  than  the  contents  of 
a  letter,  sealed,  and  in  the  charge  of  a  postmaster  for  transmission 
through  the  post-office. 

OPINION  OF  THE  COUKT. — The  opinion  of  the  court  was  delivered  by 
Judge  King,  president. 

At  the  last  session  of  the  Legislature  an  act  was  passed,  declaring 
"  that  it  should  not  be  lawful  for  any  person  concerned  with  any  line 
of  telegraph  within  this  Commonwealth,  whether  as  superintendent, 
operator,  or  in  any  other  capacity  whatever,  to  use  or  make  known,  or 
cause  to  be  used  or  made  known,  the  contents  of  any  dispatch,  of  what- 
ever nature,  which  might  be  sent  or  received  over  any  line  of  telegraph 


246  APPENDIX. 

within  the  Commonwealth,  without  the  consent  or  direction  of  either 
the  party  sending  or  receiving  the  same ;  and  that  all  dispatches  which 
might  be  filed  at  any  office  in  this  Commonwealth,  for  transmission  to 
any  point,  should  be  transmitted  without  being  made  public,  or  their 
purport  in  any  manner  divulged  at  any  intermediate  point  whatever;  and 
in  all  respects  the  same  inviolable  secrecy  should  be  maintained  by  the 
officers  and  agents  employed  upon  the  several  telegraph  lines  in  rela- 
tion to  all  dispatches  which  might  be  sent  or  received  as  may  be  en- 
joined by  the  laws  of  the  United  States  in  relation  to  the  ordinary  mail 
service  of  the  United  States."  An  exception  is  made  in  reference  to 
dispatches  of  a  public  nature,  intended  for  publication.  It  was  farther 
provided  that  if  any  person,  in  any  capacity  connected  with  any  such 
telegraph  line,  "  should  use  or  cause  to  be  used,  or  make  known  or 
cause  to  be  made  known  the  contents  of  any  dispatch  sent  from  or 
received  at  any  office  in  the  Commonwealth,  or  in  any  other  way 
unlawfully  expose  another's  business  or  acts,  or  in  any  way  impair  the 
value  of  any  correspondence  so  sent  or  received,  such  person,  being  duly 
convicted  thereof,"  should  be  punishable  with  fine  and  imprisonment. 

David  Brooks,  a  manager  in  the  office  of  the  Ohio  and  Atlantic  Tele- 
graph Company,  being  under  examination  as  a  witness  before  an  alder- 
man of  this  city,  engaged  in  taking  depositions  under  a  rule  of  this 
court,  to  quash  a  domestic  attachment  issued  against  an  alleged 
absconding  debtor,  being  asked  whether  a  telegraphic  dispatch  had  been 
sent  by  M.  Freedman  &  Co.  to  Freedman  &  Co.,  of  Pittsburg,  and 
answering  in  the  affirmative,  he  was  required  to  produce  it.  This  he 
declined  doing,  admitting  that  he  had  the  dispatch  in  his  possession, 
claiming  to  be  exempt  from  any  obligation  to  do  so  under  the  provisions 
of  the  act  of  Assembly  above  recited.  The  alderman  suspended  his 
proceedings,  in  order  that  the  objection  of  the  witness  should  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  decision  of  this  court.  The  question  for  solution  is, 
whether  the  production  of  a  telegraphic  dispatch  by  any  person  con- 
nected with  any  line  of  telegraph  within  this  Commonwealth,  when 
required  to  do  so,  being  under  examination  as  a  witness  in  a  judicial 
proceeding,  is  the  "unlawful  exposure  of  another's  business  or  acts," 
subjecting  the  telegraph  officer  to  the  penalties  prescribed  by  the  act. 
If  so,  of  course  the  witness  cannot  be  compelled  to  answer,  for  no  court 
of  justice  can  or  would  compel  a  man  to  commit  a  crime  against  the 
public  law. 

It  must  be  apparent  that,  if  we  adopt  this  construction  of  the  law,  the 
telegraph  may  be  used  with  the  most  absolute  security  for  purposes  de- 
structive to  the  well-being  of  society — a  state  of  things  rendering  its 
absolute  usefulness  at  least  questionable.  The  correspondence  of  the 
traitor,  the  murderer,  the  robber,  and  the  swindler,  by  means  of  which 
their  crimes  and  frauds  could  be  the  more  readily  accomplished,  and 
their  detection  and  punishment  avoided,  would  become  things  so  sacred 
that  they  never  could  be  accessible  to  the  public  justice,  however  deep 
might  be  the  public  interest  involved  in  their  production.  For  the  re- 
sult of  the  principle  contended  for  is,  that  the  seal  of  secrecy  is  placed 
on  all  telegraphic  communications,  as  well  in  courts  of  justice  as  else- 
where, and  that  they  are  to  be  classed  with  privileged  communications, 


APPENDIX.  247 

such  as  those  between  husband  and  wife,  counsel  and  client.  The  wife 
or  husband  are  not  permitted  to  testify  against  each  other,  nor  is  the 
counsel  permitted  to  reveal  the  secrets  of  his  client,  because  otherwise 
these  most  important  social  relations  could  not  effectively  exist.  The 
claim  that  society  has  on  the  testimony  of  all  its  members,  in  courts 
appointed  to  administer  public  justice,  is  made  to  give  way  in  such  cases 
to  the  maintenance  of  other  great  relations,  in  which  the  public  are  even 
more  interested.  If  the  Legislature  had  intended  to  place  telegraph 
communications  on  a  similar  basis,  it  would  have  been  easy  to  have 
said  that  no  person  connected  with  any  line  of  telegraph  should  be 
permitted  to  produce  a  telegraph  dispatch,  or  to  prove  its  contents  in 
a  court  of  justice,  without  the  assent  of  the  parties  to  it.  Had  such  a 
direct  proposition  been  placed  before  the  Legislature,  I  cannot  think 
that  it  would  have  prevailed ;  and  I  am  unwilling  to  give  this  law  such 
a  construction  as  to  produce  precisely  the  same  results  as  would  have 
followed  such  a  direct  enactment. 

The  real  intent  and  object  of  this  law  was  to  prevent  the  betrayal 
of  private  affairs  communicated  through  the  telegraph  by  those  con- 
nected with  it  for  the  promotion  of  private  gain,  or  the  gratification  of 
idle  gossip.  This  new  and  wonderful  mode  of  communication,  and  the 
impossibility  of  maintaining  otherwise  the  confidence  necessary  to  the 
existence  of  private  correspondence,  required  such  a  law  as  that  before 
us.  But  in  using  the  phrase,  "unlawfully  expose  another's  business  or 
acts,"  the  Legislature  certainly  show  that  they  did  not  consider  all  ex- 
posures of  another's  business  or  acts  "communicated  through  telegraph 
by  a  party  connected  with  it,"  to  be  "  unlawful,"  otherwise  they  would 
not  have  rendered  punishable  only  "  unlawful  exposures." 

If  we  are  asked  what  are  lawful  exposures  of  business  or  acts,  com- 
municated through  telegraph,  the  answer  would  seem  to  be,  exposures 
made  in  courts  in  the  course  of  the  administration  of  public  justice;  or 
exposures  made  to  the  public  authorities  for  the  sole  and  bona  fide  mo- 
tive of  preventing  crime,  or  leading  to  its  detection  or  punishment. 
The  analogies  of  the  law  show  this  distinction  between  the  lawful  and 
unlawful  exposure  of  secret  communications.  Thus,  a  grand-juror  is 
sworn  to  secrecy;  yet  when  the  testimony  of  a  grand-juror  is  absolutely 
required  in  a  court  of  justice,  he  is  produced  to  testify.  All  the  mem- 
bers of  a  co  art-martial  are  sworn  to  the  maintenance  of  secrecy  as 
respects  certain  parts  of  their  proceedings,  yet  they  are  required  to 
testify  in  courts  of  justice  in  respect  to  such  proceedings. 

The  law  is  jealous  of  extending  the  circle  of  persons  excused  or  in- 
terdicted from  giving  testimony.  Parents  are  required  to  testify  against 
children,  children  against  parents,  brothers  against  brothers,  friends 
against  friends.  Communications  by  letter,  made  under  the  deepest 
obligations  of  friendship,  affection,  or  honor,  still  must  be  produced,  if 
deemed  necessary  to  the  ascertainment  of  truth,  and  the  administration 
of  justice  by  the  public  tribunals.  To  this  great  end  of  social  organ- 
ization all  secondary  causes  are  required  to  give  way. 

If  there  exists  any  great  and  overruling  public  necessity,  which  re- 
quires that  telegraphic  communications  should  be  exempted  from  this 


248  APPENDIX. 

almost  universal  principle,  it  is  for  the  Legislature  and  not  the  judiciary 
to  say  so. 

On  the  whole,  I  am  of  opinion  that  the  witness  must  produce  the 
dispatch  in  his  possession. 


THE  LAW  OF   TELEGRAPH   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 

An  Act  relating  to  the  Commencement  of  Actions,  &c.,  relative  to  Penalties 
on  Telegraphic  Operators,  &c. 

SECT.  7.  That  from  and  after  the  passage  of  this  act,  it  shall  not  be 
lawful  for  any  person  connected  with  any  line  of  telegraph  within  this 
Commonwealth,  whether  as  superintendent,  operator,  or  in  any  other 
capacity  whatever,  to  use,  or  cause  to  be  used,  or  make  known,  or 
cause  to  be  made  known,  the  contents  of  any  dispatch  of  whatsoever 
nature,  which  may  be  sent  or  received  over  any  line  of  telegraph  in 
this  Commonwealth,  without  the  consent  or  direction  of  either  the 
party  sending  or  receiving  the  same — and  all  dispatches  which  may  be 
filed  at  any  office  in  this  Commonwealth,  for  transmission  to  any  point, 
shall  be  so  transmitted  without  being  made  public,  or  their  purport  in 
any  manner  divulged  at  any  intermediate  point,  on  any  pretence 
whatever,  and  in  all  respects,  the  same  inviolable  secrecy,  safe  keeping, 
and  conveyance  shall  be  maintained  by  the  officers  and  agents  em- 
ployed upon  the  several  telegraph  lines  of  this  Commonwealth,  in  re- 
lation to  all  dispatches  which  may  be  sent  or  received,  as  is  noAv 
enjoined  by  the  laws  of  the  United  States  in  reference  to  the  ordinary 
mail  service:  Provided,  That  nothing  in  this  act  contained,  shall  be  so 
construed,  as  to  prevent  the  publication  at  any  point  of  any  dispatch 
of  a  public  nature,  which  may  be  sent  by  any  person  or  persons  with 
a  view  to  general  publicity. 

SECT.  8.  That  in  case  any  person,  superintendent,  operator,  or  who 
may  be  in  any  other  capacity  connected  with  any  telegraph  line  in 
this  Commonwealth,  shall  use,  or  cause  to  be  used,  or  make  known, 
or  cause  to  be  made  known,  the  contents  of  any  dispatch  sent  from  or 
received  at  any  office  in  this  Commonwealth,  or  in  anywise  unlawfully 
expose  another's  business  or  secrets,  or  in  anywise  impair  the  value  of 
any  correspondence  sent  or  received,  such  person,  being  duly  convicted 
thereof,  shall,  for  every  such  offence,  be  subject  to  a  fine  of  not  less 
than  one  hundred  dollars,  or  imprisonment  not  exceeding  six  months, 
or  both,  according  to  the  circumstances  and  aggravation  of  the  offence. 

Approved  April  14,  1851. 


MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH   LAW  IN  NEW  YORK. 

The  Legislature  of  New  York  passed,  about  a  month  ago,  an  amend- 
ment to  an  act  passed  in  1848,  for  the  incorporation  and  regulation  of 
telegraph  companies.  The  first  section  authorizes  any  persons  to  as- 
sociate for  the  purpose  of  owning  or  constructing,  using  and  maintain- 
ing a  line  or  lines  of  electric  telegraph,  whether  wholly  within  or 


APPENDIX.  249 

partly  beyond  the  limits  of  the  State,  and  to  become  a  body  corpo- 
rate. The  second  section  authorizes  such  association  to  erect  and 
construct,  from  time  to  time,  the  necessary  fixtures  for  such  lines  of 
telegraph,  upon,  over  or  under  any  of  the  public  roads,  streets,  and 
highways,  and  through,  across,  or  under  any  of  the  waters  within  the 
limits  of  this  State,  subject  to  the  restrictions  in  the  former  act,  and 
also  to  erect  and  construct  such  fixtures,  upon,  through,  or  over  any 
other  land,  subject  to  the  right  of  the  owner  or  owners  thereof  to  full 
compensation  for  the  same.  The  other  sections  are  as  follows : — 

SECT.  8.  Every  such  company  owning  or  using  a  line  of  electric  tele- 
graph, partly  within  and  partly  beyond  the  limits  of  this  State,  shall 
render  to  the  proper  officer  a  true  report  of  the  cost  to  such  company 
of  their  works  within  this  State ;  and  the  stock  of  such  company  in 
amount  equal  to  such  cost,  or  the  dividends  thereof,  shall  be  subject  to 
taxation  in  the  same  manner,  and  at  the  same  rate,  as  the  stocks  or 
dividends  of  other  companies  incorporated  by  the  laws  of  this  State, 
are  subject. 

SECT.  4.  The  liability  of  any  share  or  stockholder  in  any  company 
organized  under  this  act,  as  provided  for  in  the  act,  of  which  this  is 
an  amendment,  shall  only  apply  to  the  amount  due  by  any  such  share 
or  stockholder  in  such  company,  and  unpaid,  on  or  for  any  such 
share  or  stock. 


A  Bill  for  the  better  Regulation  of  Telegraph  Companies  in  the  State  of 
Indiana,  and  legalizing  their  former  Acts. 

SECT.  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Indiana, 
That  all  telegraph  companies  organized  under  the  laws  of  this  State 
shall  have  power  to  lease  or  attach  to  them  other  telegraph  lines  by 
lease  or  purchase. 

SECT.  2.  Any  of  said  companies,  through  its  Board  of  Directors,  with 
the  consent  of  a  majority  of  the  stockholders,  shall  have  power  to  re- 
duce its  capital  stock  to  any  amount  not  below  the  actual  cost  of  con- 
struction. 

SECT.  3.  The  officers  and  directors  of  said  telegraph  companies  shall 
hereafter  be  elected  from  among  the  stockholders  residing  in  this 
State,  or  at  some  point  in  any  of  the  adjoining  States  where  any  of 
said  companies  shall  have  a  telegraph  station. 

SECT.  4.  All  irregularities  or  defects  in  the  organization  of  said  tele- 
graph companies  are  hereby  legalized :  Provided,  That  this  section  shall 
not  be  construed  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prejudice  the  rights  of  citizens 
of  this  State,  nor  in  such  a  manner  as  to  allow  such  companies  to  in- 
stitute any  suit  or  suits  against  the  inhabitants  of  this  State,  which 
they  .are  not  now  allowed  to  institute  by  the  laws  of  this  State. 

SECT.  5.  It  is  declared  that  an  emergency  exists  requiring  the  enact- 
ment hereby  made,  and  that  this  act  shall  be  in  force  from  and  after 
its  passage. 

Passed  January  27,  1853. 


250  APPENDIX. 


GENERAL  TELEGRAPH  LAW  OF  ILLINOIS;  AND  THE  SPECIAL  LAW  CON- 
CERNING THE  "ILLINOIS  AND  MISSISSIPPI  TELEGRAPH  COMPANY." 

An  Act  for  the  Establishment  of  Telegraphs. 

SECT.  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  represented 
in  the  General  Assembly,  That  any  number  of  persons  may  associate  for 
the  purpose  of  constructing  a  line  of  telegraph  through  this  State,  or 
from  and  to  any  point  within  this  State,  upon  such  terms  and  condi- 
tions, and  subject  to  the  liabilities  prescribed  in  this  act. 

SECT.  2.  Such  persons,  under  their  hands  and  seals,  shall  make  a 
certificate,  which  shall  specify,  1st,  the  name  assumed  to  distinguish 
such  association,  and  to  be  used  in  its  dealings,  and  by  which  it  may 
sue  and  be  sued  ;  2d,  the  general  route  of  the  line  of  telegraph,  desig- 
nating the  points  to  be  connected ;  3d,  the  capital  stock  of  such  asso- 
ciation, and  the  number  of  shares  into  which  the  stock  shall  be  di- 
vided ;  4th,  the  names  and  places  of  residence  of  the  shareholders,  and 
the  number  of  shares  held  by  each  of  them  respectively ;  oth,  the  period 
at  which  such  association  shall  commence  and  terminate ;  which  cer- 
tificate shall  be  proved  or  acknowledged,  and  recorded  in  the  office  of 
the  clerk  of  the  county  where  any  office  of  such  association  shall  be 
established,  and  a  copy  thereof  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State.  Such  acknowledgment  may  be  taken  by  any  officer  authorized 
to  take  the  acknowledgment  of  deeds  of  real  estate,  in  the  place  where 
such  acknowledgment  is  taken. 

SECT.  3.  Upon  complying  with  the  provisions  of  the  last  preceding 
section,  such  association,  and  their  successors  and  assigns,  shall  be  and 
hereby  is  declared  to  be  a  body  politic  and  corporate,  by  the  name  so 
as  aforesaid  to  be  designated  in  said  certificate ;  and  a  copy  thereof, 
duly  certified  by  the  clerk  of  the  county  where  the  same  is  filed  and 
recorded,  or  by  the  Secretary  of  State,  may  be  used  as  evidence  in  all 
courts  and  places  for  and  against  any  such  association. 

SECT.  4.  Such  association  shall  have  the  power  to  purchase,  receive, 
and  hold  such  real  estate  as  may  be  necessary  and  convenient  in  accom- 
plishing the  objects  for  which  such  association  may  be  formed,  and 
may  appoint  such  directors,  officers,  and  agents,  and  employ  such  ser- 
vants, and  make  such  prudential  rules,  regulations,  and  by-laws,  as  may 
be  necessary  in  the  transaction  of  the  business,  not  inconsistent  with 
the  laws  of  this  State  or  of  the  United  States. 

SECT.  5.  Such  association  is  authorized  to  construct  lines  of  tele- 
graph, and  maintain  such  as  are  already  constructed,  along  and  upon 
any  of  the  public  roads  and  highways,  and  across  any  of  the  waters, 
and  across  and  over  the  lands,  whether  public  or  private,  writhin  the 
limits  of  this  State,  by  the  erection  of  the  necessary  fixtures,  including 
posts,  piers  or  abutments,  for  sustaining  the  cords  or  wires  of  such 
lines ;  provided  the  same  shall  not  be  so  constructed  as  to  incommode 
the  public  use  of  said  roads  or  highways,  or  injuriously  interrupt  the 
navigation  of  said  waters ;  nor  shall  this  act  be  so  construed  as  to 


APPENDIX.  251 

authorize  the  construction  of  any  bridge  across  any  of  the  waters  of 
this  State. 

SECT.  6.  If  any  person  over  whose  lands  said  lines  shall  pass,  upon 
which  said  posts,  piers  or  abutments  shall  be  placed,  shall  consider 
himself  aggrieved  or  damaged  thereby,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  cir- 
cuit judge  within  whose  district  such  lands  are,  on  the  application  of 
such  persons,  and  on  notice  to  said  association  (to  be  served  on  the 
President  or  any  director),  to  appoint  three  discreet  and  disinterested 
persons  as  appraisers,  who  shall  severally  take  an  oath,  before  any 
person  authorized  to  administer  oaths,  faithfully  and  impartially  to 
perform  the  duties  required  of  them  by  this  act ;  and  it  shall  be  the 
duty  of  said  appraisers,  or  a  majority  of  them,  to  make  a  just  and  equi- 
table appraisal  of  all  the  loss  or  damage  sustained  by  said  applicant  by 
reason  of  said  lines,  posts,  piers  or  abutments ;  duplicates  of  which  said 
appraisement  shall  be  reduced  to  writing,  and  signed  by  said  appraisers 
or  a  majority  of  them ;  one  copy  shall  be  delivered  to  the  applicant, 
and  the  other  to  the  President  or  any  director  or  officer  of  said  associ- 
ation or  corporation,  on  demand ;  and  in  case  any  damage  shall  be  ad- 
judged to  said  applicant,  the  association  or  corporation  shall  pay  the 
amount  thereof,  with  costs  of  said  appraisal,  said  costs  to  be  liquidated 
and  ascertained  in  said  award ;  and  said  appraisers  shall  receive  for 
their  services  two  dollars  for  each  day  they  are  actually  employed  in 
making  said  appraisement. 

SECT.  7.  Any  person  who  shall  unlawfully  and  intentionally  injure, 
molest,  or  destroy  any  of  said  lines,  posts,  piers  or  abutments,  or  the 
materials  or  property  belonging  thereto,  shall,  on  conviction  thereof, 
be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  be  punished  by  a  fine  not  ex- 
ceeding five  hundred  dollars,  or  imprisonment  in  the  penitentiary  not 
exceeding  one  year,  or  both,  at  the  discretion  of  the  court  having  cog- 
nizance thereof.  Prosecutions  under  this  act  shall  be  by  indictment, 
in  any  court  having  criminal  jurisdiction. 

SECT.  8.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  any  association  of  persons  organized 
under  this  act,  by  their  articles  of  association,  to  provide  for  an  increase 
of  their  capital,  and  of  the  number  of  the  association,  and  for  the  ex- 
tension of  new  lines  of  telegraph,  from  time  to  time,  as  they  may  think 
proper. 

SECT.  9.  If  any  association  or  associations,  organized  under  this  act, 
shall  refuse  to  receive  dispatches  from  and  for  other  telegraph  lines  or 
associations,  and  shall  refuse  to  transmit  the  same  in  good  faith,  and 
with  impartiality,  such  association  or  associations,  so  offending,  shall 
forfeit  all  rights  and  privileges  acquired  under  this  act,  and  the  same 
shall  cease  and  be  dissolved. 

SECT.  10.  The  legislature  may  at  any  time,  alter  or  repeal  this  act. 

SECT.  11.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  all  persons  employed  in  transmit- 
ting messages  by  telegraph,  to  transmit  them  in  the  order  in  which 
they  are  received;  and  any  person  who  shall  fail  so  to  transmit  mes- 
sages, or  who  shall  suppress  a  message,  or  who  shall  make  known  the 
contents  of  a  message  to  any  person  other  than  the  one  to  whom  it  is 
addressed,  or  to  his  attorney,  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor, 
and  be  punished  by  a  fine  not  exceeding  one  thousand  dollars. 


252  APPENDIX. 

SECT.  12.  Process  or  notice  served  upon  any  clerk  or  agent  of  any 
of  said  companies  formed  under  this  act,  at  any  of  the  offices  of  such 
company,  shall '  be  deemed  sufficiently  served  for  all  purposes  what- 
soever. 

SECT.  13.  This  act  is  hereby  declared  to  be  a  public  act,  and  to  take 
effect  on  its  passage. 

Approved  February  9, 1849. 

An  Act  to  Amend  the  Charter  of  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  Telegraph 

Company. 

SECT.  1.  Be  it  enacted,  &c.,  That  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Illinois  and  Mississippi  Telegraph  Company  are  hereby  vested  with 
power  to  levy,  from  time  to  time,  assessments  upon  the  capital  stock 
of  said  company,  of  such  amount  as  may  be  sufficient,  in  the  opinion 
of  said  Board  of  Directors,  to  pay  the  debts  and  liabilities  of  said 
company,  and  to  repair  and  reconstruct  the  lines  of  telegraph  belong- 
ing to  said  company,  and  to  keep  and  maintain  the  same  in  good  work- 
ing order. 

SECT.  2.  The  said  assessments  shall  be  levied  by  orders  of  the  Board 
of  Directors,  which  shall  specify  the  amount  of  the  assessments  levied 
upon  each  share  of  the  capital  stock,  and  all  the  assessments  shall  be 
equal  and  uniform,  so  that  each  share  of  said  stock  shall  be  assessed 
to  the  same  amount. 

SECT.  3.  After  any  order  shall  have  been  passed  by  the  said  Board 
of  Directors,  levying  any  such  assessment,  notice  thereof  shall  be  given 
to  the  stockholders  of  said  company,  by  publication  for  twenty  days  in 
some  newspaper  printed  in  each  county  in  this  State,  within  which 
the  said  company  shall  have  a  telegraph  station,  if  there  be  any  news- 
paper printed  in  said  county;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  publishers 
of  such  papers  to  file  certificates  of  said  publication  with  the  secretary 
of  said  company,  which  certificates  shall  be  evidence  of  such  publica- 
tions in  all  places,  should  such  publications  ever  be  called  in  question. 
And  a  certificate  from  the  secretary  of  said  company  that  any  publi- 
cations have  been  made,  as  by  this  act  required,  shall  be  prima  facie 
evidence  thereof  in  all  courts  and  places  whatever. 

SECT.  4.  If  payment  of  any  assessment  upon  any  share  or  shares 
of  said  stock  shall  not  be  made  to  the  treasurer  of  said  company  with- 
in the  time  limited  by  the  order  of  the  said  Board  of  Directors  levying 
such  assessment,  which  shall  not  be  less  than  thirty  days  from  the 
time  of  the  passage  of  such  order,  it  shall  be  competent  for  the  said 
Board  of  Directors,  and  they  are  hereby  vested  with  full  power  to 
declare  any  and  all  stock  of  said  company,  iipon  which  any  assessment 
shall  not  have  been  paid,  to  be  forfeited  to  said  company.  And  the 
said  stock  shall  be,  and  the  same  is,  hereby  declared  to  be  forfeited 
and  cancelled. 

SECT.  5.  In  case  the  said  Board  of  Directors  shall  not  think  it  ad- 
visable to  proceed  by  their  own  order  to  declare  such  stock  forfeited, 
upon  which  any  such  assessment  shall  not  have  been  paid,  it  shall  be 
competent  for  said  company  to  apply  to  the  Court  of  Chancery  in  any 


APPENDIX.  253 

county  in  this  State,  within  which  the  said  company  shall  have  a 
telegraph  station,  by  petition,  setting  forth  the  order  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  levying  such  assessment,  the  fact  of  publication  of  notice  of 
said  assessment,  as  required  by  this  act,  and  the  non-payment  of 
said  assessment,  describing  the  stock  by  its  numbers,  and  praying  the 
said  court  to  decree  that  the  said  non-paying  stock  be  forfeited  to  said 
company,  and  that  the  same  be  cancelled ;  or  the  prayer  of  the  said 
petition  may  be  that  the  said  court  may  order  the  said  non-paying 
stock  to  be  sold  by  the  treasurer  of  said  company  to  the  highest  bidder ; 
and  the  said  company  is  hereby  authorized  to  bid  at  such  sale  upon 
the  share  or  shares  offered,  the  amount  of  the  said  assessment,  and  no 
more ;  and  in  case  the  same  shall  be  sold  to  said  company,  the  same 
shall  be  cancelled.  But  in  case  any  person  shall  pay  more  for  said 
stock  than  the  amount  of  the  assessment,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 
secretary  of  said  company  to  issue  a  certificate  of  said  stock  to  the 
purchaser ;  and  the  original  certificate  or  certificates  of  the  stock  thus 
sold  shall  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  declared  to  be  cancelled  and  void. 
And  the  amount  paid  for  said  stock,  over  the  amount  of  the  assess- 
ment, shall  be  paid  over  to  the  owners  of  said  stock. 

SECT.  -6.  The  said  Court  of  Chancery  is  hereby  vested  with  juris- 
diction to  grant  the  relief  which  may  be  prayed  for  in  said  petition, 
according  to  the  provisions  of  the  preceding  section.  And  the  said 
Court  of  Chancery  is  hereby  declared  to  be  always  open  for  the  pur- 
pose of  executing  said  jurisdiction,  and  to  make  any  order  or  decree 
in  relation  thereto. 

SECT.  7,  Notice  of  the  pendency  of  said  petition  shall  be  published 
for  at  least  two  weeks,  in  some  newspaper  published  in  the  county 
where  such  petition  shall  be  filed,  and  a  copy  of  such  notice  shall  be 
filed  with  the  secretary  of  Said  company,  certified  by  the  publishers. 

SECT.  8.  The  official  certificate  of  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
said  company  shall  be  prima  facie  evidence  of  the  non-payment  of  any 
such  assessment. 

SECT.  9.  The  said  Board  of  Directors  may  transact  business  without 
assembling  together  in  open  meeting,  by  means  either  of  telegraph  or 
written  communications.  And  the  votes  of  Directors  may  in  this  way 
be  given  and  ascertained.  And  any  order,  by-law,  or  resolution  in 
favor  of  which  a  majority  of  the  Directors  shall  vote,  by  forwarding 
their  votes  to  the  president  or  secretary  of  said  company,  either  by 
telegraph  or  written  communication,  shall  be  entered  of  record  by  the 
secretary  of  said  company,  and  shall  be  valid  and  binding  to  all  intents 
and  purposes. 

SECT.  10.  The  said  Board  of  Directors  is  hereby  authorized  and  em- 
powered to  adopt  and  pass  all  orders,  resolutions,  and  by-laws  which 
the  interest,  well-being,  good  order,  and  management  of  the  affairs  of 
the  said  company  may  require,  not  inconsistent  with  the  laws  and 
Constitution,  either  of  this  State  or  of  the  United  States ;  and  with  a 
view  as  far  as  possible  to  the  stability,  continuance,  and  regular  work- 
ing of  said  telegraph,  or  as  much  thereof  as  it  is  practicable  for  said 
company  to  maintain  and  support,  in  the  opinion  of  the  said  Board  of 
Directors,  and  may  vest  in  their  subordinate  officers  all  necessary 
powers  therefor. 


254:  APPENDIX. 

SECT.  11.  The  said  Board  of  Directors  is  hereby  authorized  and  em- 
powered to  divide  their  lines  of  telegraph  into  such  divisions  as  may 
be  deemed  convenient  and  proper ;  and  may  provide  for  the  govern- 
ment and  management,  in  whole  or  in  part,  of  such  divisions,  and  may 
separate  the  financial  interests  and  liabilities  of  each  division  from  the 
others.  And  any  debt  or  liability  contracted  or  incurred  by  the  officers 
or  governmental  authority  of  one  division,  for  or  on  account  of  that 
division,  shall  only  create  a  special  liability  against  said  company,  so 
as  only  to  subject  the  property  assets,  resources,  and  funds  of  such 
division  to  the  payment  thereof. 

SECT.  12.  All  process  to  or  against  said  company  shall  be  served  by 
reading  to,  or  leaving  a  copy  thereof  with  the  president  or  secretary 
of  said  company. 

SECT.  13.  It  shall  be  unlawful  for  any  person  to  fasten  any  boat  or 
vessel  to  the  posts  or  poles  of  said  lines  of  telegraph,  or  to  check  the 
progress  of  any  boat  or  vessel  by  means  thereof.  And  any  person  who 
shall  do  so,  or  cause  the  same  to  be  done  to  the  injury  of  the  said  lines 
of  telegraph,  shall  be  liable  to  the  same  punishment,  and  may  be  pro- 
secuted in  the  same  way  as  is  provided  in  section  7  of  an  act,  entitled 
"  An  act  for  the  establishment  of  Telegraphs,"  approved  February  9, 
1849  ;  and  shall  moreover  be  liable  to  pay  to  said  company  three  times 
the  damage  which  such  injury  may  cause,  which  may  be  recovered  be- 
fore a  justice  of  the  peace,  or  circuit  court  of  the  proper  county. 

SECT.  14.  A  certified  copy  by  the  secretary  of  said  company,  of  any 
order,  by-law,  or  resolution,  passed  or  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors of  said  company,  shall  be  evidence  of  the  due  passage  or 
adoption  thereof  in  all  courts  and  places  whatever. 

SECT.  15.  This  act  to  take  effect,  and  be  in  force,  from  and  after  its 
passage. 

Approved  June  16,  1852. 


ACT  OF  1848.     STATE  OF  LOUISIANA. 

SECT.  1.  Any  person  or  persons  may  be  and  are  hereby  authorized, 
to  construct  lines  of  electric  telegraphs,  from  point  to  point,  upon  and 
along  any  of  the  public  roads,  levees,  and  highways,  and  across  any  of 
the  waters  within  the  limits  of  this  State,  by  the  erection  of  the  neces- 
sary fixtures,  including  posts,  piers,  and  abutments  for  sustaining  the 
cords  or  wires  of  such  lines :  Provided,  The  same  shall  not,  in  any  in- 
stance, be  so  constructed  as  to  incommode  the  public  use  of  said  roads 
or  highways,  or  endanger  or  injuriously  interrupt  the  navigation  of 
said  waters ;  nor  shall  this  act  be  so  construed  as  to  authorize  the 
erection  of  any  bridge  across  any  of  the  waters  of  this  State.  And 
provided  farther,  That  such  person  or  persons  shall  pay  all  damages 
which  may  be  sustained  by  the  owner  or  owners  of  all  lands  over 
which  said  lines  shall  pass. 

SECT.  2.  Any  person  who  shall  unlawfully  and  intentionally  injure, 
molest,  or  destroy  any  of  said  lines,  posts,  abutments,  or  the  materials 
or  property  belonging  thereto,  or  who  shall  molest  or  interfere  with, 


APPENDIX.  255 

or  in  any  way  interrupt  the  use  or  operation  of  any  line  or  lines,  or 
parts  thereof,  shall,  on  conviction  thereof,  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  crime, 
and  be  punished  by  a  fine  not  exceeding  five  hundred  dollars,  or  im- 
prisonment in  the  penitentiary  not  exceeding  one  year,  or  both,  at  the 
discretion  of  the  court  having  cognizance  thereof. 

SECT.  3.  Any  operator,  clerk,  director,  messenger,  or  other  person  in 
the  employ  of  any  telegraph  company  having  an  office  or  station  in 
this  State,  who  shall  refuse  or  omit  to  send  or  deliver  any  dispatch  or 
message,  on  which  the  charges  or  fees  shall  have  been  paid  or  offered 
to  be  paid,  or  for  the  payment  of  which  a  contract  shall  have  been 
made,  or  cause,  or  direct  to  give  precedence  to  a  message  or  dispatch 
subsequently  brought  to  the  office  or  station ;  or  who  shall  in  any  way 
give  precedence  in  time  of  sending  or  delivering  any  dispatch  or  mes- 
sage belonging  to  a  director,  officer,  or  stockholder  of  such  company, 
or  any  other  person,  over  any  dispatch  or  message,  shall  be  subject  to 
a  penalty  of  not  less  than  fifty  nor  more  than  one  thousand  dollars, 
one-half  to  the  informer  and  the  other  to  the  Charity  Hospital,  and 
shall  be  answerable  in  damages  to  the  party  injured  ;  and  for  any  sub- 
sequent offence,  the  person  so  offending  shall  be  also  subject  to  im- 
prisonment in  the  parish  prison,  for  a  period  of  not  more  than  three 
months. 

SECT.  4.  No  operator  or  agent  of  the  telegraph  shall  be  permitted  to 
transmit  messages  which  can  in  any  manner  tend  to  defeat  the  ends  of 
justice,  by  preventing  the  apprehension  of  fugitives  from  justice,  or  to 
communicate  such  information  as  may  enable  the  escape  of  persons 
charged  with  offences,  under  a  penalty  of  an  imprisonment  of  not  less 
than  twelve  months  nor  more  than  two  years  in  the  State  penitentiary, 
and  a  fine  of  not  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars ;  nor  more 
than  five  hundred  dollars;  one-half  for  the  benefit  of  the  informer,  and 
the  balance  for  the  benefit  of  the  free  public  schools,  recoverable 
before  any  court  of  competent  jurisdiction. 

Liability  of  Telegraph  Companies. 

A  silk  firm  in  New  York  received  in  November,  1850,  a  telegraphic 
dispatch  from  Adrian,  Mich.,  over  the  Lake  Erie  line,  for  "  one  hun- 
dred $8  blue  and  orange  shawls,"  instead  of  "one  handsome  shawl,"  as 
the  dispatch  originally  read.  They  accordingly  sued  the  Telegraph 
Company  in  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  at  Cleveland,  to  recover 
charges  for  freight,  &c.,  and  have  recovered  a  verdict  of  $118. 

Magnetic  Telegraph  Companies  in  South  Carolina. 

A  bill  has  been  introduced  into  the  South  Carolina  Legislature, 
making  every  telegraph  company  liable  to  four  times  the  amount  paid 
for  transmission,  as  well  as  special  damages,  for  any  delay  or  neglect 
in  the  transmission  or  delivery  of  any  message  or  communication,  or 
from  neglect  and  delay  in  the  depositing  of  any  message  or  communica- 
tion within  the  nearest  post-office,  when  so  directed  by  the  party  sending. 


APPENDIX. 


Cutting  Telegraph  Wires. 

Mr.  Alexander  has  been  kind  enough  to  furnish  us  with  the  follow- 
ing dispatch,  which  he  received  at  Charleston  on  the  morning  of  the 
15th  inst.,  on  his  way  north,  from  Mr.  Turner,  his  contractor,  who  has 
charge  of  the  repairs  of  his  line  from  Columbia,  S.  C.,  to  Baleigh,  N.  C. 
It  shows  that  the  Courts  of  South  Carolina  make  summary  work  of 
those  who  interfere  with  the  wires. — Philadelphia  Ledger. 

CHERAW,  S.  C.,  Sept.  14,  1852. 

ELAM  ALEXANDER,  ESQ.,  President  of  Washington  and  New  Orleans 
Telegraph  Company,  Charleston.  Dear  Sir :  At  a  Court  held  in  Marl- 
boro' District,  this  day,  Moses  Knight  was  found  guilty  of  cutting  the 
telegraph  wires,  and  sentenced  to  receive  thirty-nine  lashes  on  the  bare 
back,  publicly,  to  leave  the  District  in  ten  days,  and  each  and  every  time  he 
is  caught  in  the  District,  to  receive  thirty-nine  more  lashes  without  farther 
trial.  There  is  yet  another  one  to  be  tried.  I  think  we  will  hang  him. 

H.  C.  TURNER. 

Suit  against  the  New  Orleans  Telegraph  Company. 

Mr.  Randall,  of  Athens  County,  Ohio,  has  recovered  a  verdict  in  the 
Superior  Court,  at  Cincinnati,  of  $1,500  damages,  against  the  New 
Orleans  Telegraph  Company,  for  personal  injuries,  caused  by  his  being 
thrown  out  of  his  carriage,  the  horses  having  taken  fright  at  the  tele- 
graph wires,  which  had  fallen  across  the  road. 


INDEX. 


A. 

PAGE 

Abbe"  Moigno,  on  Bain's  chemical  tele- 
graph       43 

Academy  of  Industry,  report  of 56 

of  Sciences,  French,  meeting 

of  67 

Royal,  of  Bogenhausen 93 

Admiralty,  English,  plans  submitted  to     18 

Alexander's  electric  telegraph  103 

Alphabet,  Steinheil's  telegraphic  97 

used  by  House 125 

Morse's  telegraphic 73 

Gauss     and    Weber's    tele- 
graphic       60 

Sturgeon's  telegraphic 113 

Wheatstone  and Cooke' stele- 
graphic  79 

American  patent,  Wheatstone  and  Cooke     83 

Amontons,  of  Paris  17 

Ampere  23 

Ampere' s  universal  terms  45 

telegraph  . 55 

Amyot's  telegraph 107 

Anion 28 

Annals  of  electricity 112 

Antinori's  experiments 51 

Anode 28 

Apparatus,  Steinheil's 97 

Arago's  temporary  magnet  46 

Armstrong's  hydro-electric  machine  ...  146 

Armature,  intensity 53 

Arthur  Young,  voyage  of 21 

Artisan,  London  85 

Arts,  Edinburgh  Society  of 103 

Astronomical  observatory  93 

Attaching  glass  caps 75 

Austria,  telegraph  in  163 

instruments  used  on  163 

number    of    words 

printed  by  163 

Australia,  telegraph  in 170 

B. 

Battery,  defects  of 24 

Sommcring's 33 

R.  Smith  Coke's 36 

Sturgeon's  improvements  on  25 

used  by  Morse  Tl 

Cruikshank's 56 

17 


PAGE 

Battery  used  by  Wheatstone  and  Cooke     86 

Alexander 103 

Bain 36 

House...  ,.  117 


constant,  Daniell's 24 

Grove's 25 

the  force  of  25 

increase    of 


power  over 

Daniell's  battery  25 

Callan's 26 

Bunsen's 26 

"     preparation 

of  carbon  for  26 

"       Reizet  on  27 

"       cost  of....  26 

Baumgartner  on  the  velocity   of  the 

electric  current 31 

Basse's  experiments  on  the  Weser 31 

Bain  lines,  number  of  in  United  States  126 

Bain's  electro-chemical  telegraph 38 

telegraph  in  England 44 

battery 36 

Bain  and  Smith's  telegraph 41 

Bache,  Professor,  idea  of  the  attraction 

between  the   conjunctive  wire  and 

iron  filings 47 

Barlow  and  Foster  on  coating  telegraph 

wire  133 

how  coating  of  wire 

is  effected 133 

Barlow's  project  48 

Bachhoffner  on  iron  wire 49 

Betancourt's  line  of  telegraph 22 

Beth-haccerem  17 

Bell's  evidence  in  House  case 22 

Belgium,  telegraphs  in 166 

Berlin,  Pruckner  of 34 

Birmingham  and  Manchester  railway  66 

Boston,  letter  from 116 

Bogenhausen 97 

Bonn,  meeting  of  naturalists  at  in  1835  57 

Bookman,  Professor 34 

British  Association 52 

Brett  and  Little 143 

Brett's,  Jacob,  telegraph  128 

Brown  and  Mapple's  telegraph 133 

Bulletin  de  la  Society  pour  1'Industrie 

Nationale...                  43 


258 


INDEX. 


PAGE 


Buried  plates,  use  of 94 

used  as  a  battery Ill 


C. 

Cable  of  wire 127 

between  England  and  Bel- 
gium    129 

submarine,  for  Denmark 131 

across  the  Ohio  River 132 

Carmichael  and  Brett 129 

Cavallo's  experiments  22 

Carlisle,  discovery  of 29 

Cathode  28 

Cation  28 

Callan,  Professor  of  Maynooth  College     26 

California,  telegraph  to 147 

telegraph  in  171 

Telegraph  Company 171 

Caen,  Professor  Masson,  of 107 

Capitals,  Roman,  used  by  House  125 

Cape  Grienez  126 

Cabinet  of  Natural  Philosophy  at  Got- 

tingen 94 

Chappe's  telegraph  18 

Chateau's  telegraph  19 

Channing,  Dr.  W.  F.,  of  Boston  54 

Chemical  telegraphs 35 

of  Sommering 31 

L_ofCoxe  34 

of  R.  Smith 35 

of  Bain 38 

Chester,    of  New  York,   in   Silliman's 

Journal,  on  Morse's  telegraph 75 

Chromate  of  lead,  paper  colored  with     146 
Cincinnati  Observatory,  Mitchell,  of  ...     31 

Circuit  in  the  air  65 

local,  of  Morse 73 

opinion  of  Judge 

Kane  upon  (Ap'x)  208 

opinion  of  Judge 

Woodbury  upon  (App'x)  230 

Clark,  William,  of  London 53 

Clark's  improved  register  72 

Comptes  Rendus 67 

Coxe's,  Prof.,  J.  R.,  telegraph 34 

Communication  on  the  electric  tele- 
graph    43 

Congress,  exhibition  of  telegraphic  mo- 
del before 65 

„ —  appropriation  of  in  behalf  of 

a  line   between  Baltimore 

and  Washington 68 

Committee  on  science  and  the  arts  of 
Franklin  Institute,  report  of  on  tele- 
graphic model 65 

Cooke's,  W.  F.,  telegraph 82 

Company,  Electric  Telegraph,  in  Great 

Britain 86 

when  incorporated 161 

amount  paid  for  patent 161 

instrument  used  by 161 

average  number    of   words 

telegraphed 161 


PAGE 

Company,  Electric  Telegraph,  charges 

for  dispatches  by  in  1850, 1851, 1852.  161 

Conductors,  form  of 181 

Conducting  properties  173 

Connecting  wires  92 

Communication,  telegraphic  102 

Connector  of  E.  Cornell 152 

Consolidation  of  telegraphs  155 

Coke  battery  of  Bunsen  26 

of  R.  Smith 36 

Cresswell,  Justice,  opinion  of  in  case  of 
the  Electric  Telegraph  vs.  Brett  and 

Little  (Appendix) 235 

Cuba,  telegraph  in  168 

Curtis's  indicating  telegraph 135 

Cutting  telegraph  wire  (Appendix) 256 

D. 

DanielPs  battery 24 

Davy,     Professor,    on    the    chemical 

agencies  of  electricity 29 

Davy's,  Edward,  telegraph 107 

Davy's  needle  and  lamp  telegraph  106 

Decomposition  of  water 29 

by  Sommering     33 

of  salts  34 

of  ferrocyanate  of  po- 
tash    35,37 

of  salts  by  Morse  ....  39,  61 

by  Edw'd  Davy  108 


DeLuc,  experiments,  across  the  Lake  of 

Geneva 20 

De  Haer,  Vorzleman,  telegraph  34 

exhibit- 
ed when  in  operation  34 

Distance  worked  in  one  circuit 152 

Don  Antonio's  telegraph  22 

Dujardin,  M.,  on  the  use  of  magneto- 
electricity  in  telegraphing 54 

Dyer's,  Harrison  Gray,  telegraph 22 

E. 
Electricity,    its    transmission   through 

conductors 20 

Electricity,  the  various  forms  of 20 

Electron 28 

Electrolyze 28 

Electrode  28 

Electrolyte 28 

Electromotive  force  29 

Electrical  currents,  their  velocity  30 

Electric  telegraph,  definition  of 19 

Electric  telegraph  of  Strada 20 

Lesage 20 

Lomond  21 

Reusser  21 

Salva 21 

Don  Antonio 22 

Francis  Ronalds  23 

Johnson's  improve- 
ments   134 

H.  G.  Dyer 22 

Haighton  ...  138-146 

indicating... 135 


INDEX. 


259 


PAGE 

Electric  telegraph  line  by  Betancourt       22 

Nott's  improvement  133 

Hatcher's  do 133 

Maple,  Brown,  and 

Lodge's  do 133 

Barlow  and  Foster's  133 

Thomas's  do 139 

Mitchell's  do 139 

Park's  do 139 

Sieraen's  do 140 

Bakewell's  do 144 

McGregor's  do 144 

Electro-chemical  telegraph  of  Sommering  32 

Coxe  34 

R.  Smith....     35 

Bain 38 

Morse 39 

Bain  &  Smith     41 

Electro-magnetism,  definition  of 44 

discoveries  of  (Ersted  46 

Ampere 46 

. Arago 46 

Schweigger 46 

Sturgeon  47 

Henry 47 

Dr.    Bache,    re- 
marks on 47 

Moll 49 

. present  knowledge 

of  the  power  ...     49 

Electro-magnetic  telegraphs 55 

Morse 61 

Printing  of 

Vail  ....  101 

. remarks  upon 

by  Vail     101 

Bain's  print- 
ing    110 

Sturgeon's  112 

House's  ... 

. Brett's,  J. 


115 

128 
65 
56 


needle  do.  Ampere  ... 

Barlow..... 

Victor  St. 

Amand       56 

Fechner ...     56 

Ritchie  ...     56 

Schelling       5 

Gauss  and 

Weber       5! 

Taquin  and 

Etteyhausen  6 

Wheatstone 

andCooke  7 

Steinheil's 

printing      8 

Alexander's  10 

Davy's  ....  10 

Masson's      10 

. Amyot's       10 

Davy's  Ed- 
ward....  10 

Electric  metallic  telegraph  of  West- 
brook  and  Rogers 4 


PAGE 

nglish  submarine  telegraph  between 

England  and  France  125 
-wire,  length  of...  125 

-  form  of  clamp  of 

lead  126 

-  result  of  the  first 

effort 126 

-  mode  of  covering 

the  wire 126 

-  the  wires 127 

-  telegraphic  instru- 

ment used  by 
them 127 

—  their    amount  of 

capital 128 

—  dividends  upon  128 

—  number  of   mes- 

sages sent  by  it  128 
description  of  in- 


strument and  plate  128 

ngland,  telegraph  in  158 

Experimental  researches  of  Faraday  ...     28 

F. 
Taraday  on  the  supply  of  electricity  ...     24 

laws  of  electricity 28 

difference  between  gal- 
vanic  and    frictional 

electricity 24 

galvanic  pile 23 

chemical  effects  of  gal- 
vanism       28 

electro-chemical  decom- 
position      28 

discovery  of  magneto- 
electricity 49 

Fechner's  telegraph 66 

First    line    of    telegraph    in     United 

States 151 

Fizeau  and  Gounelle,  telegraph  31 

Forbes,    Professor,    on    magneto -elec- 
tricity      51 

Foster  and  Barlow's  improvements  in 

telegraphs 133 

Franklin's     experiments     across     the 

Schuylkill 20 

Franklin  Institute,  report  on  telegraph 

model 65 

France,  submarine  telegraph  to 127 

telegraphs  used  in 165 

form  of  instrument  used  165 

number  of  signs  per  minute...  165 

government  use   of  the   tele- 

i  1  C.K. 

graph  loo 

cost  of  telegraphic  dispatches 

in 165 

G. 

Galvani,  Prof.,  discovery  of 23 

Galvanic  pile  of  Volta  23 

batteries  24 

constant  24 

defects  of  ordinary  ...  24 

Daniell's 24 

Grove 25 

Bunsen 26 


260 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Galvanic  batteries,  Gallan  27 

Sommering  33 

K,  Smith 36 

Sturgeon's     improve- 
ments in 25 

Cruikshank's 65 

used  by  Morse  72 

used   by   Wheatstone 

andCooke 86 

Alexander 103 

Bain 36 

House 117 

Faraday  on 24 

Galvanism,  its  application 28 

Galvanic   telegraph.     See  Electro-che- 
mical. 

Gauss  and  Weber's  telegraph  39 

Gazette  of  Madrid 21 

German  telegraphic  alphabet 101 

Germany,  telegraph  lines  of  165 

instruments  used     165 

General  Pasley's  form  of  telegraph 19 

Gray's  experiments  on  friction al  elec- 
tricity       20 

Greek  word  for  telegraph 18 

Grier,   Judge,  concurrence   in  opinion 

with  Judge  Kane  (Appendix)  201 

Grove's  battery 25 

employed  by  House 128 

by  Morse 72 

H. 

Hall's  improved  posts  135 

Hare,  Professor,  letter  to  on  magnetic 

electricity 54 

on  insulation  179 

Hatcher's  improvements  in  telegraphs     133 

Haigh ton  telegraph  138 

Henry,  Professor,  experiments  on  elec- 
tro magnetism    48 

on  the 

action  of  lightning  on  the  telegraph  183 
means  suggested  by  him  to  prevent 

its  injurious  effects 184 

House,  R.  E.,  origin  and  life  Ill 

letter  from  Boston  in  re- 
gard to 116 

cast  of  his  intellect 116 

first    application  for    a 

patent  116 

date  of  patent 116 

House  printing  telegraph 115 

No.  of  lines      1 25 

No.  of  miles     125 
Form  of  mag- 
net used      120 
Printing  ma- 
chine, description  of  117 
Form  of  posts 

used  with    116 
Form  of  wire 

used  with    116 
accidents  to     116 
form  of  bat- 
tery and  number  of  cups  used  117 


PAGE 

House-printing  telegraph,  main   consti- 
tuents of     117 
composing  ma- 
chine, description  of  117 
use   of  com- 
pressed air  in  118 
use  of  a  trea- 
dle instead  of  a  crank  118 

the   use   of 
friction  contrivance  in  119 

the  action  of 
the  whole  machine  119 

how  the  cir- 
cuit is  broken  and  closed  119 

operation  of 
the  telegraph  121 
how  to  form 
letters  into  words  122 
type-wheel  ..  122 
mode  of  trans- 
mission of  messages  124 

time  required 
to  transmit  Governor's 

message  by 124 

function  of  the 
electric  circuit  in  124 

various    im- 
provements on,  new  patent  for  124 

claims  of 124 

first  line  ope- 
rating with  this  instrument 

in  the  United  States 125 

the  act  of  in- 
corporation of  the  first  company  125 

the  amount  of 
capital  of  the  company  125 

specimen     of 
the  form  of  printing  by  1 

remarks  upon 
its  speed  in  printing  161 
its  use  in  Cuba  168 

cost  of 169 

*  insulator 176 

arrester 188 

House,  trial,  notice  of 213 

decision 214 

Hon.  F.  0.  J.  Smith  67 

and  S.  E.  B.  Morse,  and  Alfred  Vail, 

trial  (Appendix) 237 

Hooke,  Dr.,  his  remarks  on  telegraphs      18 

Holland,  telegraph  in 166 

form  of  instrument 

used 166 

Horn's  igniting  telegraph 142 

Humboldt,  authority  in  regard  to  tele- 
graph between  Madrid  and  Ai*anjuez     22 
Hyde  Park  experiments  by  Bain Ill 

I. 

Igniting  telegraph 142 

Indicator  in  Steinheil's  telegraph 97 

Indicating  telegraph,  Curtis's 135 

Insulating  metallic  wires  177 

Insulation,  remarks  upon 172 


INDEX. 


261 


Insulation,  by  Morse  in  his  first  lines  ...  65 

of  wires,  by  Siemens 142 

by  Barlow  &  Foster  133 

for  submarine  tele- 
graphs   135 

by   House   on  his 

first  line  124 

Remarks  upon,  by  Steinheil  92 

by  Faraday  172 

by  Hams  172 

by  Hare  ...  172 

byMatteucci!73 

by  High  ton  178 


Insulating  bodies,  table  of  173 

Insulation  in  United  States 175 

in  England 177 

in  Germany 178 

in  France  178 

Insulator  used  on  the  Morse  line  175 

House  line  176 

by  Farmer  and  Batchel- 

der  in  Boston 177 

byC.  V.Walker 177 

• so  as  to  overcome,  damp- 
ness    177 

in  wire  passing  through 

railroad  tunnels 177 

when  wires  are  buried     178 

India,  telegraph  in 169 

Dr.  O'Shaughnessy's 

remarks  on 169 

form   of  conductor 

used 169 

form  of  posts  used     169 

advantages  of  iron 

rods 170 

Ireland,  telegraph  in 162 


J. 
Jacobi  on  the  velocity  of  the  electric 

current 30 

Jackson,  Dr.  C.  T.,  on  the  telegraph  ...     61 
Johnson,  C.  F.,  improvement  in  tele- 
graph    134 

K. 

Kane's,  Judge,  decision  (Appendix)  ....  201 
his  opinion  in  re- 
gard to  Morse's 
precedence  of  date  205 

opinion    of    on 

Dyar,  Davy, 
Steinheil,  and 
Henry's  claims  205 

remarks    on 

Morse's  local  cir- 
cuit   211 

on  the  intensity 

magnet  211 


La  Place's  suggestion  of  Ampere's  tele- 
graph       55 


PAGE 

Law  of  telegraph  of  Pennsylvania  (Ap- 
pendix)   248 

of  New  York  (App'x)  248 

of  Indiana  "         249 

of  Illinois  "         250 

of  Louisiana       "        254 

on  liability   of    tele- 
graph company  ....  255 

of  South  Carolina  in 

regard    to    cutting 

telegraph  wire 256 

of  South  Carolina  in 

regard  to  personal 

damages 256 

Lesage,  of  France,  his  telegraph 20 

Leuz's  explanation  of  magneto-electric 

action 55 

Liability  of  telegraph  companies  (Ap- 
pendix)    255 

Lightning,  effects  of 182 

experiments  upon  by  Prof. 

Henry 183 

experiments  upon  by  Baum- 

gartner 184 

protectors,  form  used  in  1844  182 

ofMeiszner 186 

ofBulkley 187 

of  Carey  187 

of  House 188 

made  with  iron- 
filings  189 

of  Highton  on  this 

form 189 

objections  to  ....  190 

of  copper  190 

used  by  C.  V.  Wal- 
ker   190 

ofBreguet  191 

of  Turner 191 

remarks  upon  by 

Reid 192 

List  of  telegraph  companies 149,  150 

Lines  in  the  United  States 153 

Lines  of  telegraph  in  Ohio 157 

in  Canada  157 

in  England 158 

in  Scotland  and  Ire- 
land    162 

in  Prussia  162 

in  Austria  and  Bohe- 
mia   163 

in  Bavaria 163 

in  Saxony  164 

in  Tuscany 164 

in  Germany  , 165 

union  of,   between 

Austria,  Prussia, 
Saxony  and  Bava- 
ria   165 

tariff  of  charges  165 

in  France 166 

in  Holland  and  Bel- 
gium   166 

Italy  and  Rome  166 


262 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Lines  of  telegraph  in  Spain 167 

-in  Russia 167 

in  Mexico  167 

-in  Cuba  168 

in  Valparaiso 169 

in  India 169 

in  Australia 170 

in  Texas 171 

in  California 171 

. between    Lara    and 

Agram  in  the  last  171 
Lomond's  telegraph 21 

M. 

Matteucci's  experiments 31,  173 

Magnet,  electro,  Davy  on 46 

discovered  by  Arago  46 

improvements  by  Stur- 
geon 47 

. by  Henry  ...  48 

by  Moll 49 

our  present  knowledge 

of  the  matter 49 

Magnetism,  electro 44 

(Ersted's  discovery  43 

Ampere's  universal 

terms 45 

Ampere's  laws 45 

new  facts  discovered 

by  Arago,  Davy, 
Faraday  and  Henry  45 

Masson's  magneto-electric  telegraph  ...  107 
Mapple  and  Brown's  improvements  in 

telegraphs  133 

Magneto-electricity  49 

-. Faraday  on 50 

Forbes  on  51 

Hope  on 51 

Nobili  and  Antion 

on 51 

Rixii  on 51 

Saxton  on 52 

Clark  on 53 

Page  on 53 

Sinstedem  on 54 

Stohrer  on 54 

Lenz  on 55 

Magneto-electricity  used  by  Steinheil  96 

used    on    Morse's 

telegraph 54 

, used   by   Dujardin 

in  France  for  the 

telegraph  54 

use  of  by  Henley  138 

Mexico,  telegraph  in 167 

Mitchell,   Professor,  of  Cincinnati,  on 

the  velocity  of  the  electrical  current  31 

Miles  of  lines  of  telegraph 154 

Moigno,  Abbe",  on  Bain's  telegraph 43 

Moll,  Professor,  of  Utrecht,  on  electro- 
magnet    49 

Morse,  Samuel  F.  B.,  and  Alfred  Vail, 

vs.  F.  0.  J.  Smith  (Appendix)  237 

Morse's  telegraph 61 


Morse  telegraph  lines  in  U.  States  153 

electro-chemical,  salts 

used  in 39 

difficulties    to,    great 

distances  with  63 

C.  T.  Jackson,  assistance  to  ...     61 

L.  D.  Gale  joined  him 61 

the  receiving  magnet  used  by 


him 63 

when  published  to  the  world  ...  64 

Messrs.    George    and    Alfred 

Vail's  interest  in  the  inven- 
tion    64 

circulars  of,  to  Hon.  Levi  Wood- 
bury  in  regard  to 64 

cost  of  wire  used  by  him 64 

iron  tubes  to  inclose  the  wire  65 

stout  spars  recommended  for  it  65 

battery  used  on  it 65 

a  model  of  finished  and  exhibit- 

ed before  the  Franklin  Insti- 
tute    65 

report  on  model 66 

exhibition  before  Congress 66 

caveat  entered 66 

"      withdrawn 67 

patents  in  Europe 67 

Hon.  F.  0.  J.  Smith,  interest  in  67 

put   in    operation    before   the 

French  Academy 67 

patent  in  1844  for 67 

appropriation   of    Congress  to 

build  a  line  of 67 

second  patent  of 67 

reissued  do 67 

capital  invested  in  his  lines  in 

United  States 68 

spring-lever  key  used  in 68 

receiving  magnet,  form  of 68 

lead-pencil    and    ink-reservoir 

when  used 69 

how  to  detect  a  break  on  line  of  75 

representation    of    the    whole 

combination  of  the  register- 
ing apparatus,  main  and  lo- 
cal circuit  with  key s  of 71 

.alphabet  used  73 

mode  of  sending  a  communica- 
tion by  73 

to  send  to  all  the  offices,  and 

drop  copy  by 74 

daily  performance  of 74 

charge  of  transmission  by  74 

amount   of  business  which  an 

office  can  perform  74 

form  of  wire  used  on  lines 74 

insulation  of  lines  of 75, 175 

lightning  protection  used  for  76, 182 

testimonials  from  Europe  in  re- 
gard to 77 

use  of  in  Europe 77 

telegraph  convention  77 

how  messages  are  to  be  count- 
ed ..  77 


INDEX. 


263 


PAGE 

Morse,  answers  to  messages 78 

rule  for  refunding  by  this 78 

protection  of  this  form  of  tele- 

graph from  abuse 78 

uniform  system  of  number  and 

signal  letters 78 

declining  new  letters  in  alpha- 
bet   78 

transposition  of  letters 78 

tariff  of  charges  of 78 

extension  of  the  patent  of  1840  78 

Steinheil's  notice  of 95 

Vail' s  notice  of 101 

register    improved    by    J.    J. 

Clark  72 

Roe,  improvements  in  machine 

for   operating   this   form   of 

telegraph 134 

used  in  Prussia 162 

modification  of  in  Austria  163 

in  Holland  166 

used  in  Mexico 167 

in  Cuba 168 

in  Australia 170 

in  Texas  171 

in  California ...                  ,.  171 


N. 
Nicholson  and  Carlisle's  experiments  on 

the  decomposition  of  salts 

Nott's  improvement  in  telegraph 

No.  of  telegraphic  companies  in  U.  S. 
No.  of  miles  of  telegraph  in  U.  States 
England 


29 
133 
151 
154 
158 

Canada 157 

Prussia 162 

Austria 163 

Saxony  and  Ba- 
varia   164 

Tuscany 164 

Germany  163 

France  163 

Holland 166 

Italy  166 

Spain 167 

Russia  167 

Mexico 167 

Cuba 168 

Valparaiso  ....  169 

India 169 

Australia  170 

Texas  and  Ca- 
lifornia    178 

0. 

(Ersted's  law 45 

discovery 45 

Ohm's  law  30 

to  determine  the  force  of  the 

electric  current 29 

to  estimate  the  amount  of 
projectile  force  of  a  gal- 
vanic battery 29 


P.  PAGE 

Page,  Dr.,  of  Washington,  on  magneto- 
electric  machine 53 

on  gutta  percha 180 

Philosophical  Transactions  for  1684  ...     17 
Pixii,  of  Paris,  on  magneto-electricity       51 

Posts,  improved,  for  telegraph 134 

Polygrammatic  telegraph 19 

Printing  telegraph  of  Bain   110 

House  117 

Brett 128 

Vail  ..  ,.  101 


Prussia,  telegraph  in 162 

—  method  of  insulation  in  162 


form  of  battery  used  by 162 

Pyrographic  telegraph  register 143 

R. 

Railroad  telegraphs  193 

three  months'  work 

on 192 

in  United  States...  194 

in  England 195 

Report  on  telegraph  for  United  States      20 

Reusser,  of  Geneva 22 

Reid,  of  England,  his  improvements  ...  133 

James  D.,  on  poles  181 

remarks    on    coating 

wires 181 

remarks   on   Turner's 

protector  by 192 

Recardo's,  John  Lewis,  improvements  134 
Report  of  magnetic  telegraph  company  156 
Receipts  for  one  year  of  E.  M.  Tel.  Co.  156 

Ritchie's,  Dr.,  telegraph 66 

Russian  government  20 

telegraphs 167 

S. 

Salts  used  by  Morse 39 

Salva's,  M.  D.,  telegraph  21 

Schweigger's  proposal  to  modify  Som- 

mering's  telegraph 34 

Sch weigger'  s  galvanometer 46 

Schelling's  telegraph 57 

Shepherd's  improvements  135 

Sinstedem's   suggestions  in   regard  to 

magneto-electric  machines  54 

Smith's,  W.  R.,  telegraph  35 

Smith  and  Bain's  do 41 

Sommering's  telegraph 32 

Spain,  telegraph  in 167 

Sturgeon's  experiments  on  electro-mag- 
net      47 

improvement  in  battery 25 


telegraph  112 

Stoehrer  on  magneto-electric  machine        54 

Steiriheil,  telegraph  95 

experiments   on  the  conduc- 

^  tion  of  the  earth 97 

his  protector  from  lightning  182, 

184 
Submarine  telegraph  between  England 

and  France  125 

England  &  Ireland  126 

England  &  Belgium  131 


264 


INDEX. 


T. 

PAGE 

Telegraph.  See  Electro-magnetic  Tel'h. 

the  term  18 

the  first  used 19 

first  proposed  by  Lord  Mur- 
ray       19 

Telegraphs  on  railroads,  article  on 193 

in  United  States  194 

in  England 195 

Telegraph  laws  of  Penns'a  (Appendix)  248 


New  York 

•  Indiana 
Illinois 
Louisiana 

•  S.  Carolina 


248 
249 
250 
254 
255 

Telegraphic  lines  of  the  world 146 

United  States 155 

England 161 

Canada 157 

Ireland 162 

Prussia 162 

Austria 163 

Saxony  and  Bavaria  164 

Tuscany 164 

Germany 165 

France 165 

-Holland 166 

Italy 166 

Spain 167 

Russia 167 

Mexico 167 

Cuba.. 168 

Valparaiso  169 

India 169 

Australia 170 

Texas 171 

California 171 

in  the  East 169 


Telegraph  of  Batchelder  and  Farmer...  143 

U. 

U  form  of  magnet 48 

V. 

Voigt's  Magazine  for  1794 23 

Volta,  of  Pavia,  his  discovery 25 

Voltaic  pile 23 

battery.    See  Galvanic  Battery. 

Vail's  assistance  of  Morse 64 

Vail's  printing  telegraph 101 

Valparaiso,  telegraph  in  169 

Velocity  of  the  electrical  current 30,  79 

W. 

Wheeler's  observations  on  Motional 

electricity 20 

Winckler,  of  Leipsic,  his  experiments 

on  frictional  electricity 20 

Watson,  Dr.,  his  experiments  on  do.  ...  21 


PAGE 

Water,  when  first  decomposed 29 

Wheatstone  and  Cooke's  telegraph  78 

course  of  lectures  by 78 

experiments  on  the  velocity  of 

electricity 30,79 

with  machine  electricity 79 

with  voltaic  battery  79 

first  telegraph 79 

number  of  signals  which  it  was 

capable  of  conveying 79 

first  patent  with  W.  Cooke 79 

the  principle  on  which  his  tele- 
graph depended 79 

signal  board 79 

number  of  needles  used 79 

number  of  wires  used,  and  keys  79 

insulation  used 80 

use  of  wooden  posts 80 

form  of  battery  employed 80 

local  circuit  and  alarum  80 

line  of  telegraph  on  the  Great 

Western  Railroad  in  1839  ....  81 

number  of  months  in  operation  81 

examination  before  parliament- 
ary committee  on  railroads  in 

1840 81 

second  patent  by  the  use  of  only 

two  wires  81 

telegraph,  expenses  of  construc- 
tion, &c 81 

telegraph   compared    with    old 

form  of  telegraph  in  regard 

to  cost 82 

form  of  signals 82 

telegraph,  cost  per  mile  82 

American  patent  83 

telegraph  patents,  first  and  se- 
cond, their  defects 83 

third  patent  83 

•  telegraph,  form  of  posts 83 

"                 "      insulator....  83 

"                 "     wires 83 

lightning  conductor 85 

form  of  battery 86 

number   of  letters  transmitted 

in  a  minute 86 

charges  by  the  electric  telegraph 

company  87 

telegraph,  remarks  upon  by  the 

English  journals 87 

Walker,  Prof.  S.  C.,  on  the  velocity  of 

the  electric  current 30 

Westbrook  &  Rogers's  telegraph 42 

Weber's,  Prof.  Alarm   58 

Winegar's  improvements  in  telegraphs  134 

Woodbury's,  Judge,  decision  (Appen'x)  213 


Young's,  Arthur,  Travels  in  France  ....     21 


ERRATA. 

Page  173,  fourth  paragraph — "It  is  well  known  that  moist  air,"  &c. 
Omit  "  W"  in  third  paragraph,  page  177. 


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